Brothers By Heart
by mezzogal
Summary: Things are changing in Jem's life, some for the better and some not so much. But, one thing's for sure, life with Will as his brother is never dull. [modern AU. sequel to Two Is Better Than One]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is the sequel to my story Two Is Better Than One. I encourage you to read that before you read this one.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all like this story too. I'm planning to update once a week. Maybe more if there is more interest. We'll see.  
**

 **Please leave a review or comment. Have a good weekend! :)**

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1.

Will Herondale winced as he slowly pressed the sharp end of the safety pin into his left thumb. The prick of pain startled him even though he knew it was coming. He withdrew the pin and watched in fascination as a bead of bright red blood formed. He then handed the pin to the boy standing across from him in the silent park at midnight.

"Are you very sure this is necessary, Will?" Jem Carstairs asked as he took the pin.

"Of course!" Will declared. "We're brothers and we've got to make it official. I read it on the Internet. We've got to each cut ourselves then press the cuts together so our blood will flow in each others' veins."

"That doesn't sound very hygienic," Jem remarked.

"There's also another way where we each open a vein, pour our blood out into a cup and then drink it."

Jem grimaced and shook his head. He pricked himself without further hesitation, then put the safety pin in his pocket. "Just get on with it," he said.

Will flashed him a cheeky grin. He held out his left hand to Jem, who took it. They pressed their bleeding thumbs together tightly. Will took out a piece of gauze and wrapped it around both of their thumbs. He attempted to tie it off at the end but was unable to do it one handed. Jem reached over and helped, and together, they managed to bandage both their thumbs together. This done, they stood and grinned at each other. The seconds ticked by.

"Now what?" Jem asked.

"Um…" Will hesitated. He racked his brain to remember what he had read. Then he gave up and took out his mobile phone. He heard Jem sigh as he did so. "Shut up," he ordered.

"It's getting cold, Will. You know I have cystic fibrosis and the cold isn't good for my lungs. Plus, it's the first day of school tomorrow morning," Jem reminded him.

"Give me a second," Will said. He scrolled through his browsing history and found the website. "Okay, it says here that now we look into each others' eyes and recite words of lifelong loyalty and brotherhood."

"Okay," Jem agreed. "What do we say?"

"It doesn't say. But, don't worry, I'll come up with something," Will decided. He put away his phone, gripped Jem's hand harder, looked into his eyes and said: "James Carstairs, will you take me, William Herondale to be your blood brother, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, till death do us part?"

Jem began to giggle but pressed his other hand up to his mouth when he saw Will frown at him. This did not help and he began to cough from the effort of holding back his laughter. When he stopped coughing, he asked: "Are you serious, Will?"

Will made a face at him. "Let's see you come up with something then, wise guy."

Jem grew serious. He held Will's gaze and recited: "Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people; and your God, my God. When the hills are all flat and the rivers are all dry, when it lightens and thunders in winter, when it rains and snows in summer, when Heaven and Earth mingle – not till then will I part from you. You are my brother, William Herondale. Forever and ever."

"Amen," Will involuntarily concluded.

Jem smiled in amusement and threw his arm around Will in a hug. "We're brothers now, Will," Jem concluded. "Not born brothers by blood, but sworn brothers by heart. Long may we stand at each other's side."

Will nodded. "I will certainly say 'Amen' to that, brother," he said. The boys broke their hug and tended to their pricked fingers. The cold was helping to numb the pain. "Where did you get that from? The verse. I thought you didn't like poetry."

"It isn't poetry," Jem informed him. "It's from the Bible. Well, the first bit anyway. I saw it in a song during music class. The other bit is a Chinese poem. I can't remember where I encountered it. But it's nice."

"Way better than my 'wedding vows' any day," Will agreed.

Jem nodded and headed over to the side to pick up his backpack and bright yellow skateboard. "We should be getting back," he said.

"Excited for tomorrow?" Will asked. "New year, new school, new teachers."

"Terrified," Jem admitted. "But I'm sure it'll be fine. You'll be there."

"That's right. I will," Will grinned. "Goodnight then, Jem. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Do you have a ride home?" Jem asked.

"I'll take a taxi."

Jem nodded and got on his skateboard to head home. Will watched until his friend got out of sight then meandered his way through the park to the road, walking and whistling loudly, making the neighbourhood dogs bark, until he managed to get a taxi back to his family's townhouse in Belgravia.

He got home extremely late but was lucky that no one noticed he had gone out. He quietly let himself in and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

The next morning, he was awoken by the loud yell that was the opening of the song Circle of Life. He leaped out of bed and saw his younger sister Cecily bent over in laughter in the doorway of his bedroom, phone in hand.

"What the hell, Cecily!" he exclaimed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"You'll survive," Cecily said unsympathetically. "Mam said to call you up. It's almost time for school."

Will had never got ready for school so quickly. In less than 20 minutes, he was washed, dressed in his uniform and downstairs for breakfast. His parents were surprised at his enthusiasm; even Cecily, who was excited to be starting secondary education at her brother's Westminster City School, was not as fast as he was.

But Will was eager to go to school. He couldn't wait to meet Jem, who had just transferred to his school to study the Sixth Form.

Their parents drove the Herondale siblings to school and dropped them off at the school gate. Now that they were actually at the school and the students were all arriving and making lots of noise, Cecily looked nervous. Will was not nervous at all. He jumped out of the car and dove right into the throng.

The halls were packed with students and parents all trying to find their way around and get paperwork done. Will bumped into many of his classmates who were returning for Sixth Form. They called to him to come and see their classrooms, but he waved them away. There was only one person he wanted to see now, but that boy was nowhere to be found.

"Will!" Cecily shouted as she struggled to make her way through the crowd. When she got to her brother, she said: "Will, the teacher said I could have a mentor if I wanted to. Will you be my mentor? Please?"

"What? No!" Will immediately said.

Cecily pouted and folded her arms. "Why not? Ella was your mentor when you started school."

"Cecy, I told you before, I'd be a horrible mentor for you. Anyway, I'm going to mentor Jem," Will reminded her. "You'll have to find someone else."

"You're mean," Cecily whined and stomped off.

"Trust me, it's for your own good!" Will called after her.

It was then that he spotted the tall, thin, Asian-looking boy, whose dark hair was streaked with silver like an old man. Jem was following closely behind his uncle Elias Carstairs, whose stocky build helped him to plough through the crowd. Jem was looking anxiously around him at all the students.

"Jem!" Will shouted. He pushed through to his friend, not caring who he was stepping on to get there.

"Thank god, Will!" Jem exclaimed. "I was beginning to think I would have to go through all this by myself."

"As if I would let you go wandering by yourself around here," Will scolded. "This place is worse than a jungle. I don't want you eaten up before the first lesson starts."

"Oh, I'm sure I can fend them off. I've seen worse at my old school," Jem noted. "But it's definitely better to have you here."

"Come on, then," Will urged. "Have you done your paperwork? Can I be your mentor?"

"We've just come from the nurse's office and told her about Jem's cystic fibrosis," Elias informed Will. "We're now trying to find the main office. I've got Jem's forms here; we just need to submit them."

"I can be your mentor, right?" Will asked Jem again.

Jem looked awkward. "Hannah kind of asked to be my mentor," he admitted.

"What!" Will exclaimed. "This is outrageous! First she worms her way into your affections, distracts you while you're on holiday with me, and now she wants to mentor you too? No! A mentor is someone who will guide you on your journey through the school and help you and look out for you. That person is clearly me!"

"I thought you'd be mentoring Cecily," Jem said gingerly. "After all, she is your sister."

"And you're my brother! Don't say you picked Hannah over me, you disloyal traitor."

"There's no need for names," Jem said calmly. "And no need for dramatics either. I decided I wouldn't have an official mentor. Both of you can help me find my feet in this school."

Will's anger disappeared at that – though he was still a little sore that he would have to share Jem with the girl. He gave in. "Fine," he huffed. "But I get to show you around school." He grabbed Jem's hand and scowled at all the other students around them.

Jem laughed and clapped Will on the back. "Lead on, O fearless leader!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Huge THANK YOU! to everyone who's read and reviewed chapter 1. I'm so happy you guys like the story so far. Here's the next installment. :)**

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2.

Will led Jem through the crowded halls to their classroom. Though they were not taking exactly the same subjects, they did have two in common – Economics and Business Studies. Will hated both of these subjects, but as his father made it clear that he expected Will to show some interest in his security company, or at least, the working world, the boy had to learn some business skills.

Most of the class had arrived by the time Will and Jem entered the classroom. There were 15 desks, arranged in clusters of three around the room. Will sighed heavily when he spotted Hannah Moss standing and waving to them from a cluster with two empty seats.

Hannah was a beautiful girl with long curly brown hair. She was one of the more popular girls in the school. She broke up with her athlete boyfriend the year before. At the time, Will was trying to get into the good graces of Hannah's friend, so he had set up a blind date for Hannah and Jem. The pair seemed to have hit it off well and they had been going out together since then. Will, however, did not like it. He did not trust that Hannah was truly interested in Jem. He still believed that she was with Jem as a distraction while she was in-between boyfriends.

But he said nothing of this to Jem as his friend's face lit up in a broad smile of recognition when he saw Hannah. The girl gave a warm hug to Jem and a curt nod of acknowledgement to Will.

Will wanted to take the middle seat to try to distance Jem from Hannah, in order to spite her, but Jem firmly moved towards the middle and refused to budge.

As they took their seats, Jem put his backpack between himself and Will, bent over it and whispered: "Will, please don't pick a fight with Hannah."

"I did no such thing," Will protested.

"Not yet," Jem pointed out. "But if I know you, you're itching for a fight."

"I'll behave myself if she does," Will said.

"She's done nothing. Please, Will? Don't fight with her. For me?" Jem pleaded.

Will sighed. "Fine," he agreed. "But don't expect me to be best friends with her."

"Can I at least expect you two to be friends?" Jem inquired.

"Classmates; and that's my final offer," Will said.

"Very well," Jem accepted. He reached into his bag and took out his pencil case and a notebook. He placed these on his desk and then turned to have a whispered conversation with Hannah. Will suspected he was making the same request of her to keep the peace. It was a very short conversation, in which Hannah laughed, smiled and touched Jem's arm a lot. Will could not help but stare awkwardly.

The awkwardness continued when the teacher came in and made everyone stand up and introduce themselves. Practically, Jem was the only new student in the class; the rest were already students in the school and had continued on after their O levels. So, when Jem stood, everyone woke up from their stupor and paid attention.

"Hi," Jem said shyly. He fiddled with his pencil case as he spoke, as though he did not know quite what to do with his hands. "I'm James, but everyone calls me Jem. I just transferred here from Southall High School in Ealing. Um… I love music, cats and the colour yellow." He said the last sentence extremely quickly and then sat down in relief. Jem hated being the centre of attention.

"All right, well, welcome to Westminster, James," the teacher responded. "I'm sure we all will do our best to make James feel at home, won't we, class?" The class murmured in agreement and Jem blushed red.

As the teacher moved on to another student, Will whispered to Jem: "Why didn't you say anything about having cystic fibrosis?"

"I don't want people to know," Jem whispered back.

"You don't have to be ashamed of it, you know?" Will said.

"I'm not. I just don't want them to treat me differently," Jem answered.

"You know they wouldn't," Hannah added.

"Who's talking to you?" Will said sharply to her.

"Will, please, don't," Jem pleaded.

"She's eavesdropping on our conversation!" Will retorted.

"You're talking so loud, the whole world can hear you," Hannah snapped.

"Hannah, James, William, anything you would like to share with the class?" the teacher's voice cut into the discussion. Will looked up and quickly shook his head. "Well then, please pay attention," the teacher ordered.

"This is your fault," Will hissed to Hannah, leaning over Jem in the process. She seemed about to say something when Jem kicked the sides of both of their chairs to make them stop. The pair settled down and maintained a cold truce for the rest of the period.

After class, Jem grabbed Will's arm and pulled him out into the hall. "Will, you agreed not to fight with Hannah," he reminded him.

"I said I wouldn't, as long as she behaved herself," Will repeated.

"Then what was that in class?" Jem asked.

"She was eavesdropping!"

"She sits right there. She can't help but hear you."

"She didn't have to take part in the conversation."

"You can't ignore her for the rest of the Sixth Form."

"I can try."

Jem looked at his friend with a bewildered expression. "Why don't you like her, Will? You always seemed unhappy when I even mention her."

Will shook his head. "I don't have a problem with her," he lied.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"You don't believe me? I'm cut to the core," Will said, dramatically put a hand over his heart. Jem rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't have a problem with her. She makes you happy; that's enough for me."

"It'll make me happier if my best friend and brother can get along with her," Jem suggested.

"Just give me some time to get used to her," Will said.

Jem nodded. "Okay. That's fair," he agreed.

"Okay then," Will concluded. "What's your next class? I'll walk you there."

It turned out to be Music for Jem and English Literature for Will. After taking Jem to the classroom, Will had to run to get to his own classroom. He made it and was only one minute late.

"Take your seat, Will, we are about to start the lesson," the literature teacher instructed. Will grinned and took the nearest available seat. He loved literature and this teacher was one of his favourites. He listened with rapt attention as the teacher expounded on the beauty of literature, his speech liberally peppered with quotes. The reading list he was given was very long and contained works by authors ranging from Maya Angelou and J.R.R. Tolkien to Shakespeare and Tennyson. Will itched to get his hands on these books.

The morning sped by and it was soon time for lunch. Will was slow to leave the classroom, with the result being that the cafeteria was packed by the time he got there. He scanned the crowd and scowled when he spotted Jem at a table with Hannah. Jem saw him too and waved at him to come over. Will looked around for a way to get out of this and, for once, was relieved when Cecily appeared in front of him. However, his relief disappeared once she opened her mouth.

"Will! Are you sure you don't want to be my mentor?" she asked. "Because I spoke to Jem and he said that you weren't going to mentor him after all."

"Cecily, we've been over this. I don't want to be your mentor. Full stop," Will said.

"But why?" Cecily whined.

"I just don't," Will repeated.

"So you won't complain if someone else becomes my mentor?" she checked.

"Who else did you have in mind?"

"Gabriel offered just now," she informed him.

Will exploded in outrage. "Gabriel Lightwood? Hell no! He can't mentor you. He's just using you to get his revenge on me for what I did to his sister."

"He said he wasn't," Cecily assured her brother.

"Then he's lying. Never trust a Lightwood," Will advised. "Where is he now? I'll kill him."

"No!" Cecily grabbed Will's sleeve and began dragging him off.

"Cecily, let go!"

Jem then materialised next to them. "Problem?" he asked.

"He wants to go beat up Gabriel Lightwood," Cecily said.

"Will…" Jem sighed.

"I can't fight with Hannah, I can't fight with Gabriel. God, you guys are driving me crazy with your saintliness!" Will exclaimed. He wrenched his sleeve free from his sister's grasp and stalked off.

"Will, where are you going?" Jem called, starting after him.

"Leave me alone!"

"Will, please don't start a fight with anyone," Jem pleaded. He caught up with his friend and grabbed his arm. Will shook off Jem's hand, sparking a momentary look of hurt in his friend's eyes. "Will, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone, okay?" Will said. He began running down the hall as fast as he could, knowing that Jem could not follow at the same speed. He did not turn around, not wanting to see the look of confusion and hurt on his best friend's face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thought no one would notice I posted a day late. Oops! Busted! Haha! Thanks for noticing and caring enough to give me a nudge. :) Anyway here's the new chapter. Let me know what you think about it.**

 **Someone asked how old the boys are. Will, Jem and Gabriel are 16 (going on 17). Cecily has just turned 13.**

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3.

Will ran up to a bathroom that he knew was rarely used. He wrenched open the door and began punching the wall. He was not sure why he felt so frustrated that day but he felt like he just needed to get away from it all. He punched the wall till his knuckles were red and aching, then sat on the cool tile floor.

He heard the bathroom door creak open but did not bother to look up. The person walked up to him and sat on the floor next to him. It was then that Will turned his head and saw that it was Jem who had come in.

His friend said nothing as he sat there. He had his backpack on his lap and was rummaging through it – not purposefully but as if he needed to do something to keep his hands occupied. Eventually, he took out a pill box and swallowed some pills.

Will just stared at him. He expected Jem to interrogate him or, at least, question him. What he did not expect was silence and comfortable companionship. He felt confused.

"Jem?" he began. His friend turned to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't want you to be alone," Jem answered. "You seem upset."

"I'm having a bad day," Will explained.

"I figured," Jem said. "So I thought I'd better keep an eye on you, in case you decided to go kill someone and needed help getting rid of the body. Dead bodies lying around would spoil the ambience of the school."

Will laughed at that, breaking the tension. "I don't like Hannah," he admitted.

"I know. May I ask why?" Jem asked.

"I think she's just using you," Will said. "And when she finds another guy, she'll just dump you like a hot potato."

Jem nodded. "Yes, I know," he said. "Thank you for your concern, Will. But I did not go into this relationship with my eyes closed. I am aware that I am probably little more than a distraction for her."

"Then why are you still with her?" Will asked.

Jem shrugged. "I guess… I wanted to know what it feels like to be in a relationship. And it felt… nice."

"Basically, you're sucked in and you don't want to leave," Will summed up.

"Better to have loved and lost, as they say," Jem replied. Then he changed the subject. "How's your hand? Do you need anything for your wounds?"

Will looked down at his red knuckles. "Why? What do you have?"

Jem dug into his bag and pulled out a pink bottle. "I have baby lotion."

"Do you carry a mobile pharmacy around in there, Jem?" Will inquired teasingly. He took the bottle and squeezed a bit onto his hands. The lotion felt cool on his sore skin.

Jem did not answer him. He rummaged in his bag again and took out a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. He tossed this over to Will. "You didn't eat your lunch," he explained.

"And you're changing the subject," Will pointed out. He unwrapped the sandwich and inspected it. It was peanut butter.

Jem just laughed. "Eat your sandwich," he ordered. He stood and adjusted his uniform, making sure everything was neat. "I've got to go to Chinese class. I'll see you later, Will."

Will had no class to go to after lunch so he stayed in the bathroom long after Jem had left. Nearly half an hour passed before he finally decided to exit and head for a students' lounge. That was one of the perks of being in the Sixth Form. They had more freedom than students in the lower school and more areas for them to spend their time during periods when they had no classes to attend.

The lounge for the Lower Sixth was a cosy place furnished with red velvet couches, armchairs and low tables. Flowery curtains hung from a large window, through which could be seen the school's courtyard. A long table lined one wall where power sockets were placed at regular intervals, for those who wanted to use their laptops. On another wall hung a huge whiteboard, which was currently still in pristine condition with nothing written on it.

A few students were clustered around an area where there was a mini fridge stocked with drinks and snacks. Will's heart sank when he saw that Hannah was among the group. When he told Jem that he was going to try and ignore her for the rest of his school life, he had meant it. And yet, here she was and, with no Jem around as a buffer, Will was not sure if he could curb his temper.

Praying hard that Hannah would leave him alone, Will made his way to a chair that was on the opposite side of the room from her. It was a nice spot with two armchairs, a table and a radiator close by. He envisioned himself and Jem spending many a free period studying together there. He dumped his bag on the floor and pulled out his Economics textbook to read.

For the second time that day, someone came up to him and sat next to him. Will had an idea who it was and forced himself to be extremely interested in the theories of demand and supply to try and discourage his companion from speaking to him. It did not work.

"Will," Hannah greeted.

Will sighed hard. The gods must hate him today. He looked up from his book. "Hannah," he acknowledged curtly. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"It's the first day of school. We haven't even got homework yet," Hannah scoffed. "You're avoiding me."

"How perceptive of you," Will mumbled, turning back to his book and ignoring her. She reached out and snatched the book from him. "Hey!" he exclaimed.

"We need to talk," Hannah announced. She tucked the book into the space between her thigh and the chair's arm.

Will folded his arms. "I'm listening," he grunted.

"You and I have one thing in common," she began, leaning forward to emphasise her point.

"I highly doubt that," Will denied.

"Jem," Hannah firmly informed him.

"What about him?" Will asked in a choked voice.

"I think it will be… profitable… for the two of us to come to some sort of arrangement about him," Hannah said, speaking slowly and choosing her words carefully. "After all, I know you don't like me. But I like Jem and I like spending time with him. And for some reason, he likes you. So, unfortunately, you come as part of the package."

"You could just walk away," Will suggested. "After all, with me thrown in, it must be such a bad deal for you."

"Dream on, Herondale," Hannah countered. "Jem's a far better man than you and worth enduring your presence for."

"Herondale now, is it, _Moss_?" Will asked. "Funny. And here I was thinking you were about to offer some sort of friendship package to me."

Hannah's expression was murderous but her voice was even. "A proposal," she corrected. "So we don't make things difficult for Jem. Neither of us wants that, I'm sure."

"No, we don't," Will conceded. "What do you have in mind?" he inquired.

"I know we're in the same Business Studies class too," Hannah began.

"What? You too?" Will interrupted. "You mean I have to see you in Economics _and_ Business?"

"You may," Hannah said. "Or you may not. Here's my proposal: I'll switch to a different Economics class if you'll switch Business class. That way, we'll both have one class with Jem and none with each other. I will be cordial to you and treat you like any other of my schoolmates. We'll leave it to Jem how he wants to divide his time between us outside of school. What do you think?"

Will thought about it. It sounded reasonable. He did not like having to share Jem with anyone, but he knew that was a petty thought. He, Will Herondale, would rise above. "That sounds fair," he allowed. "How much of this will Jem know?"

"Nothing," Hannah said. "We haven't had Business class together so he won't suspect anything if you aren't there. And I'll just say Economics clashed with something else I'm taking, so he doesn't have to know the real reason why I switched classes."

"And I won't have to speak to you ever again?" Will clarified.

"Not unless absolutely necessary," Hannah confirmed.

"And you won't force your company on me, like you're doing now?"

Hannah scowled at him. "Is it really such torture to be around me, Will?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "Fine. I won't inflict my company on you, unless it's necessary."

"Okay then, we have a deal on the classes thing," Will concluded. He held out his hand. "Do you want to shake hands on it?"

Hannah took his hand in a light grip and shook it briefly. She was about to withdraw her hand when Will gripped it hard and said: "I don't know what your intentions are with regard to Jem, but I know you. I've watched you play around with all the guys in school for years, curling them all around your little finger and leading them on with false hope. I won't allow you to do that to Jem. I promise you, if you break his heart, I will break your legs."

She wrenched her hand out of his grip and stood up from her chair. "Honestly, you're such a thug. I don't know what Jem sees in you," she said. "And it's no business of yours what happens between me and Jem."

"He's my brother. What happens to him _is_ my business," Will said. "Remember; I'm watching you."

Hannah rolled her eyes and walked away in a huff. Will reached over to her chair and retrieved his Economics textbook. As he opened it, there was a small smile on his face. It was a relief to finally be able to get all that off his chest. The sight of the girl's annoyance and wariness at his threat made his day.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

When the last bell of the day rang, Will ran to go look for Jem. It had been quite a trying first day of school for Will and he wanted to hang out with his best friend to make himself feel better.

He made his way to where Jem had been having his Chinese lesson and waited as a horde of students pushed past him, talking loudly in the foreign language. To Will, Chinese sounded like people arguing in short clipped tones. Even when Jem spoke it to him, he could not discern if his friend was swearing at him or saying something nice.

He spotted Jem standing at the teacher's desk and talking to the teacher. He waved when Jem looked up and saw his friend grin in acknowledgement. He waited as Jem finished his discussion with the teacher and walked over to him.

"Hey Will, what're you doing?" Jem asked.

"I was looking for you," Will explained. "Come on. I need to get out of here."

Jem followed Will out of the school and into the cool autumn afternoon. "I take it you didn't have a very good day," Jem observed as Will kicked at every pile of leaves there was on the ground.

"One of the worst ever," Will agreed. "Can I come hang out at your house? I don't want to go home yet and face that little terror of a sister of mine."

Jem smiled at Will in amusement. "Come on then," he said.

The two boys made their way to Ealing and to the two-storey terrace house where Jem lived with his uncle Elias. The house was on estate's main road and plenty of foot traffic passed by. Now, the place was buzzing with students coming home after school. A black and white cat was sitting on the low stone wall outside the house. It meowed as the boys passed and Jem petted it on the head.

Inside, the quiet house was a nice respite from the busy street. The boys hung their school blazers up on pegs by the door and made their way through to the kitchen. However, as they passed by the door that led to the living room door, Jem put out a hand to Will. "Hang on a moment," he said. He backtracked and entered the living room.

There were flowers everywhere. Every surface was full of bright and fragrant blossoms of all shapes and colours. The boys gingerly entered and stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the sight.

"Did your uncle open a flower shop?" Will finally asked.

"Not that I know of," Jem said. "I'm sure I would have remembered him telling me."

"This _is_ your living room, right? We didn't go to the wrong house by accident?" Will clarified.

"I'm pretty sure this is my house," Jem assured him, though he sounded a little uncertain. "I thought I was seeing things. But you see it too, right?"

"Yeah. Maybe we should just go to the kitchen and come back later. Maybe the living room would have turned back to normal by then," Will suggested. The boys beat a hasty retreat and went to the kitchen, which was still, mercifully, recognisable and flower-free. "That was weird," Will affirmed. "Do you think we stepped into some kind of portal or something that transported us elsewhere?"

"Portals don't exist, Will," Jem rebutted. "Even if they did, why would there be one in my living room and why would it send us flowers?"

Will shrugged. "Just keep an eye out for blue boxes and strange men wearing bow ties," he instructed as he went over to the refrigerator. He pulled it open and examined the contents. There were jars of peanut butter – Jem recently decided that he liked the stuff very much, and was eating a lot of it every day – bread, biscuits, a very rich-looking chocolate cake and an elegant bottle of champagne. Naturally, Will made a beeline for the cake.

"Don't touch the cake!" Elias' voice suddenly bellowed across the room.

Will jumped in shock and backed away from the refrigerator. He turned to Jem and saw that his friend looked as startled as he was.

Elias had entered the kitchen, but instead of the casual t-shirt and Bermuda shorts combination that he usually wore around the house, he was dressed up in a very nice suit, with a tie and blazer. His hair was immaculately combed and his shoes were shiny. His expression, however, was far from calm.

"Jem, I thought I told you not to come home till after seven," Elias said in a panicked tone.

Jem bit his lip. "I forgot," he admitted. "Why? What's happening? Why are you all dressed up? And what happened to the living room?"

"What do you mean? Did something happen to the living room?" Elias asked, his anxiety visibly increasing.

"It's covered in flowers," Jem pointed out.

"Oh, that," his uncle breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, um… I know."

"And it's that way because…?" Jem prompted.

Elias shifted awkwardly and he glanced at Will. "Look, why don't you go over to Will's until later tonight? I promise I'll tell you everything later."

"This is very strange," Jem said. Will noted that his friend had not bothered to move. He was amused to see that Jem's stubborn side emerging. All these non-committal statements were Jem's way of digging his heels in. "What's going on?"

Elias looked at his watch. "Jem, please go right now. I'll buy you your favourite fish chowder tomorrow," he bargained.

"Are you going out? Is that why you're all dressed up?" Jem asked.

"More likely someone's coming over," Will suggested. Jem nodded in agreement.

Elias looked at the two boys as though trying to decide what to do. "No! I mean yes. I mean… Colette's coming over," he admitted. "It's a date, okay?"

"Since when do you need so many flowers for a date?" Jem inquired. "Can I have some after you're done? Hannah would like them." Will rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine. Anything you like. But not right now," Elias conceded. Then the front doorbell rang and he turned white. "Okay, you two, upstairs, right now." He grabbed his nephew and Will by the arm and dragged them to the stairs. "Go on!" he hissed. "And keep quiet."

Jem smiled like he was suppressing giggles but he obeyed and headed upstairs and towards his room. He went in but sat in the doorway, just out of sight from anyone on the ground floor but still within earshot. Will sat beside him.

"My dear Jem, I didn't know you were so inquisitive," Will whispered. Jem smiled conspiratorially at him.

Once certain that the boys were safely out of sight, Elias opened the door. "Colette!" he exclaimed. "Thanks for coming. You look lovely."

Though the boys could not see what was going on, they could hear every word as Elias led Colette into the living room. They smirked at Colette's exclamation of surprise at the flowers. Jem pressed a finger to his lips to shush Will as his uncle began to speak.

"My darling Colette," he began, "When I first met you two years ago, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Since then, I've got to know you better, and discovered the beautiful soul that was inside."

"Oh my god, he's proposing!" Jem whispered, nudging Will with his elbow. Will grinned at his friend's excitement. Jem suddenly got up, ran into his room and got out his violin.

"Your uncle wanted us to pretend we aren't here," Will reminded. Jem shushed him and placed the violin under his chin. He began playing a piece with long romantic-sounding passages.

Downstairs, Elias had clearly heard the violin. He stumbled over his words for a moment but then adapted it to suit his speech. In fact, he seemed to time the rest of his sentences to the music: "I love how you seem to take everything in your stride, when I would be a nervous wreck. You are so kind, patient and loving. You always make me smile, even in the toughest times. You are the strongest woman I know, who can take on the world and not have a single hair out of place. I want to wake up beside you and fall asleep with you and spend every moment in between with you."

There was a long pause as Colette said something that the boys could not hear. Then, Elias asked: "Colette, will you marry me?"

Jem paused his playing as he waited to hear the answer. He could not hear what Colette said, but when he heard happy laughter, he immediately struck up a celebratory tune. The tune was a jig and Will began to tap on the wooden door with his fingers to add a bit of percussion to the song.

The boys were so caught up in the music that they did not notice when the two adults climbed the stairs. They looked up only when they began applauding. Jem quickly put down his violin and looked bashful to have been caught.

"That was lovely," Colette said. "Thank you, boys." Jem stepped forward and gave Colette a big hug. She looked surprised but hugged him back. "We're going to be a family now, Jemmy," she said. "Would you like that?"

"I'd love that," Jem told her. He turned to his uncle. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped."

"I didn't want you to get your hopes up, in case she didn't say 'yes'," Elias admitted.

"You're silly," Colette teased. "As if I would say 'no'. Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought."

"I didn't want to assume," Elias said, giving her a kiss. "Anyway, you did help in the end, Jem. I was so worried when I heard your violin."

"But it worked out so well," Colette added. "It sounded perfect. Like a soundtrack. I don't believe you two didn't rehearse it."

"I assure you, it was completely impromptu," Will added. "I tried to stop him."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," Colette said. "It brought the proposal to a whole new level."

"I expect an invitation to the wedding," Will told Colette and Elias. "Since I helped with the proposal."

They all laughed at that. "We wouldn't dream of leaving you out," Elias assured him. "You'll be the first name on our list. In fact, I'll invite you, right now."

"Awesome!" Will exclaimed. "I'll be there!"


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Jem took to Westminster City School like a duck to water. He was popular among his Sixth Form classmates, much to his surprise, as he thought he kept himself to himself most of the time.

It may be because he was such a contrast to Will, whom everyone knew and mostly disliked. Though Will tried to behave himself in school, he would snap at people and was generally very impatient and short tempered with practically everyone. Most of the time, it was Jem who stopped him from getting into physical fights and who stood as a buffer between Will and the world.

One of Will's most bitter enemies was Gabriel Lightwood. They had maintained a semi-friendly rivalry in the earlier years of their school life, but things escalated after Will shamed Gabriel's sister during a Christmas party the year before and broke Gabriel's arm. Since then, skirmishes broke out at regular intervals, usually won by Gabriel who would threaten to report Will to his father.

But ever since Gabriel became mentor to Will's sister Cecily, Will was outright hostile towards him, and it did not take much to provoke a fight.

On the surface, Gabriel was the innocent party. He fulfilled his responsibilities as Cecily's mentor flawlessly. He answered her every question about school, helped her with time management and even came over to the Herondale house to give her extra lessons after school when she did not understand certain topics.

Will was highly suspicious of this. He could not believe that Gabriel had no ulterior motive in being so nice to Cecily. When he found out about the extra lessons, he made it a point to be at home and to supervise. Cecily, of course, resented this.

"I don't need a babysitter!" she shouted at her brother one day when the three of them were sitting in the library in their house in Belgravia.

"You don't. He does," Will said calmly pointing at Gabriel with his pencil and rocking on the back legs of his chair.

"Why don't you grow up, Herondale?" Gabriel snarled.

"I am grown up, Lightwood," Will retorted. "That's why I'm here, ensuring that my sister doesn't fall prey to your wily schemes."

"Are you hearing yourself? You'll be calling me a 'dastardly cad' in a minute," Gabriel snorted.

"If the shoe fits, wear it," Will suggested.

"You're being infuriating. I'm going to tell Mam," Cecily said, storming out of the library and yelling for their mother.

Mrs Herondale came quickly and surveyed the situation. "Will, stop tormenting your sister," she ordered.

"I'm not tormenting her!" Will protested. "I'm just sitting here minding my own business."

"She's trying to study and you're preventing that," his mother pointed out. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Will mumbled something about untrustworthy men but withered under his mother's fierce stare. "I'll go over to Jem's," he finally conceded.

"You do that," his mother said. "Cecily, Gabriel, sit down and start studying. If I hear any more disturbances…" She left the sentence hanging and the threat unspoken. She held the library door open for Will, who unwillingly shuffled out.

A black and white stray cat was sitting in the middle of Jem's front garden when Will arrived at his friend's house. It meowed at him and followed him up to the house.

"Shoo!" Will hissed, waving a hand to make it go away. But it just kept moving forward and rubbed itself against Will's leg. He sighed and rang the doorbell. When the door opened, Will tried to block the cat to stop it from entering the house, but the cat shot past him like lightning. "Oi! No, you don't!"

Jem looked bewildered on the other side of the door. "What?" he inquired.

"The cat!" Will yelled. He pushed past Jem and ran after it. "Come back here, you stupid animal!"

Will proceeded to chase the cat round the house for nearly 10 minutes. He lost the cat when he tripped over Jem's fencing epee in the hallway, but eventually tracked it down after it slunk into the living room and sat on the sofa. He grabbed it by the scruff, carried it at arm's length and tossed it out of the front door. It landed on the grass with a yowl. "And stay out!" he shouted at it as he slammed the door.

Jem watched all the commotion with amusement. "Was that really necessary, Will?" he asked.

"A wild animal entered your home. I was helping you get rid of it," Will pointed out grumpily.

"His name's Archie," Jem said.

Will stared at his friend. "You've got to be kidding me. You've _named_ it?"

"Of course. He's been hanging around the area for a while now," Jem informed Will. "Sometimes I let him in when no one else is home."

"No wonder it wanted to come in," Will grumbled. "You might have told me instead of making me look like an arse chasing a cat around the house."

Jem just laughed. "I've got cinnamon rolls for you to make amends," he offered.

Will accepted the cinnamon rolls and was soon seated in the living room with a plate of delicious iced rolls and a glass of milk. Amid Jem's textbooks were piles of bridal brochures and other wedding paraphernalia on the coffee table. "How goes the wedding planning?" Will asked. "Have they set a date yet?"

"December," Jem said. "They were going to ask your parents if I could stay with you while they go on their honeymoon."

"Of course you can stay with me!" Will immediately replied. "We usually go to Wales for the holidays. It'd be fun to play in the snow."

"Is it cold?" Jem asked.

Will frowned. "It might be," he said. "Perhaps we should stay in London after all. We don't want you getting sick."

As if on cue, Jem started coughing. Will looked at him in concern but Jem put out a hand to stop Will from doing anything. "I'm fine," he said after the coughing fit stopped. "It's nothing."

"You haven't coughed like that in a while," Will observed.

"I'm still feeling the good effects of my summer vacation in the Welsh mountains," Jem said with a grin. "But I haven't really been keeping up my exercise, so my lungs are junky. I was practicing my footwork in the hallway when you rang the bell."

"That would explain the epee," Will replied.

"Yes, I thought I'd try out for the school fencing team," Jem said bashfully. "It looks like fun, and they offer free training, so I can save a few hundred pounds instead of going for fencing class."

"What? And you're going to abandon me to go for class alone?" Will bemoaned. The only reason he had joined the fencing class was because Jem was there and he wanted to look as cool as Jem when brandishing a sword.

"You could always join the school team too," Jem suggested.

Will looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding? Why would they want a noob like me on the team? You, on the other hand, have got some mad Bruce Lee skills with a sword." He waved his hands around in kung fu poses.

"Bruce Lee was known for martial arts, wasn't he?" Jem asked.

"You're good at martial arts too, aren't you?" Will retorted.

"Enough about me," Jem said firmly. "What about you? What brings you here all of a sudden?"

Will sighed dramatically. "An ignominious bastard, a roguish rake, a flap-eared knave, a rampallian ruffian, a sodden-witted wretch, an artless beetle-headed barnacle…"

"Are you talking about half a dozen people or one person in particular?" Jem interrupted Will's rant.

"Lightwood!" Will concluded. "That mewling idle-headed…"

"What did he do now?" Jem cut off Will before he could get into full flow.

"He exists. Isn't that enough?" Will said.

"Something more specific would be nice," Jem probed.

"He came over to tutor Cecily," Will said. "I thought I should sit in and supervise but Cecily was having none of that. She called Mam and I got thrown out."

"And how did Gabriel factor into that?"

"It was all his fault! If he wasn't there, none of this would have happened."

Jem shook his head. "Will, I don't understand this animosity between you and Gabriel. Surely the events of the Christmas party are long past now. Can't you both be friends, for the sake of Cecily?"

"What do you mean, 'for the sake of Cecily'? What do you know?" Will interrogated. "Is something going on that I should know about?"

"No, I meant… Gabriel is her mentor. The bad blood between you must surely affect her relationship with him," Jem explained. "It must be difficult for her to be mentored by him when you so obviously dislike him. How can he mentor her well if you're hovering over them and questioning his every move?"

"Are you on his side or mine?" Will asked, frustrated at this preaching.

"Yours, of course," Jem answered immediately. "But, just think about what I said."

Will did think about it for the rest of the afternoon. He realised that there was no rational explanation for his dislike of Gabriel Lightwood. They had just been rivals ever since they first met years ago on the first day of school. Something about the boy just rubbed Will the wrong way.

So, as Jem chattered on about trivial everyday things, Will made the decision that although his pride prevented him from being friends with Gabriel, he would lay off the hostilities and, at least, not go out of his way to pick fights with the boy.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Will was wandering the halls in the school during one of his free periods. This was one thing he absolutely loved about Sixth Form – the free time they had in between classes. Well, that he had; Jem was taking four subjects and so had very few free periods, compared to Will who was taking only three.

He liked the quietness and the amusement that came from being the only student walking around and passing classes full of the younger students. How bored they must be, having to sit and listen to the teacher all day.

Then, he saw familiar figures ahead of him. It was Jem and Hannah. Will wondered what they were doing in the hallway when they were supposed to be in Business Studies class. He picked up his pace and caught up with them. Jem grinned when he saw Will and gave him a cheery greeting. Hannah was surly.

"What's going on?" Will asked.

"I had a coughing fit in class. The teacher insisted I go see the nurse," Jem explained. Will looked pointedly at Hannah. "Hannah's accompanying me to make sure I go," Jem added. "I'm fine. I told the teacher I'm fine, but she didn't believe me."

"Are you sure you're fine? You look pale," Will noted in concern.

"I'm always pale," Jem reminded him.

"He threw up," Hannah told Will.

"You know that happens when I cough too hard," Jem immediately said to Will.

"Just go see the nurse! It won't kill you," Hannah argued with Jem.

"I don't want to! I'm fine. Can't I just go back to class?" Jem pleaded. Will had not seen him turn on his puppy eyes before, so he was amused to see it now.

"You two better decide before someone comes along and…" Will began.

He was interrupted by a stern voice: "What are you children doing out of class?"

The three of them froze in horror when they saw the headmaster approaching.

Although Sixth Formers did not have to stay in class all day, they were discouraged from hanging around in the halls and disturbing other students. The headmaster was a stern man and not above telling off students who were innocently just walking along past classrooms.

Jem suddenly fell to the floor. Will frantically grabbed his arm to try to arrest his fall but failed. As his friend lay sprawled on the floor, Will saw him give a very small wink.

The headmaster hurried over and knelt down by Jem. "What's happening?"

"He was sick in class, sir," Hannah said. She sounded terrified. "I was trying to take him to the nurse."

"That's right, we both were," Will added. He yanked Jem to his feet, pulling one of his arms over his shoulders to support him. He motioned for Hannah to take Jem's other arm. Jem's tall, skinny frame flopped awkwardly between them.

The headmaster eyed them suspiciously. "I suppose I'd better come with you. You don't look like you're able to carry him," he said.

"Oh no, we don't want to bother you, sir," Will said firmly, readjusting his grip on Jem. It helped that Jem subtly moved his feet so that he looked more stable. "We've got this covered. It's only a short way to the nurse's office."

"Very well, then," the headmaster said, getting up to continue on his way. "I will inform the nurse that you are coming. Please get someone to assist if you can't make it."

Will nodded and waited till the headmaster was out of sight before saying: "God damn it, James Carstairs! Don't ever do that to me again!"

Jem had opened his eyes and stood up straight. "I figured that you wouldn't be in trouble if you had a good excuse to be out of class," he said.

"Couldn't you have done something else? Like vomit all over his shoes?" Will asked.

"So that was all fake?" Hannah realised. She slapped Jem on the arm. "You gave me such a fright!"

Jem gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I scared you," he said apologetically.

"Well, we'll have to go to see the nurse now," Will said glumly. "Move it, you malingerer."

Jem laughed at that and followed his friend. Hannah trailed along slightly behind. After a few steps though, Jem began to cough hard. Will turned and saw him bent double by the spasms and on the verge of really collapsing onto the floor. Hannah was by his side, looking on helplessly.

"Move!" Will pushed Hannah aside. He grabbed Jem's hands and placed them on his shoulders, so his friend could use him to brace himself and stay upright, which was an easier position for him to breathe. Jem clung to Will as though he was drowning and his friend was a life preserver.

The coughing fit seemed to go on forever. When the coughs subsided, Jem had his mouth clamped tightly shut and was struggling to regulate his erratic breathing.

"Are you okay?" Hannah asked gingerly. Jem nodded though he had his eyes closed. He looked deathly pale and his skin felt clammy. Will understood now why the teacher made him go to the nurse.

"We're going to the nurse's," Will said. "Right now." He put a hand on Jem's back and firmly guided him forward.

Jem followed docilely. He coughed a little along the way but it seemed that he was trying to control it. However, when they got to the nurse's office, the first thing he did was rush to the little sink and throw up in it. There was a lot of dark mucus. The nurse rushed over in alarm and rubbed his back soothingly. When he was done, the nurse helped him to a bed in the sick bay where he sat on the edge.

"You two can go back to class. I'll take care of Jem," the nurse instructed Will and Hannah.

"Can Will stay? Please?" Jem piped in.

"He should be in class," the nurse protested.

"Actually, I have a free period now," Will said.

Hannah frowned at being passed over and left the room. She returned shortly later with Jem's backpack, dropping it by the bed in a huff before going off again.

In the meantime, Will sat next to Jem and waited for his friend to tell him what he wanted him to do. The nurse had given him a glass of warm water, which Jem accepted. Will looked sideways at his friend. Jem still looked ill. In fact, he had appearance of someone who was extremely ill but did not want to admit it.

"Jem, why don't you lie down? Take it easy for a bit," Will suggested.

"Will, I'm fine. Please don't fuss," Jem said.

"You look like death warmed up."

"I do not!"

"I might be wrong. I'm no doctor. I'm just telling you what I see."

"I'm…" Jem began to insist again that he was all right but was cut off by a hard cough. This was quickly followed by another and another. Before long, he was doubled over again and nearly falling off the bed.

Will jumped up and grabbed the waste paper basket, just in case Jem needed to throw up again. He grabbed his friend's thin shoulders to help him stay upright. Jem's eyes were squeezed shut but tears were leaking out from the corners. "Jem, you're okay," Will said, reassuringly. "You're going to be okay."

The nurse came rushing in. "Do you have any medicine you can take?" she asked.

Jem was in no state to answer so Will said: "No. He usually just goes with it till the coughing stops."

The nurse's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to call your parents. They need to take you to see a doctor," she said. She marched off to her desk to use the phone, all the while keeping her eyes on the boys.

Jem finally stopped coughing and straightened up. He looked even worse than before. After taking a sip of water, he asked: "Will, can you do therapy with me, please?"

"Of course!" Will immediately agreed. Jem needed to do physical therapy several times a day to loosen up the mucus that built up in his lungs so he could cough it out and breathe easier. Will had been taught how to do it and he always liked when Jem asked him to. It felt good to be able to do something instead of watch helplessly on.

Jem now lay across a pillow on his stomach, so that his body was inclined downwards. "Do it hard, okay? My lungs feel really congested," he requested.

Will nodded. Using his cupped hands, he began pounding out a firm and regular rhythm on Jem's back.

The nurse rushed over. "What are you doing?" she demanded in horror.

"It's okay," Will said. "It's his therapy." Jem also reassured her that Will was fully capable of doing this. The nurse was not convinced and called Jem's uncle again to check. It was only after this call that she allowed Will to carry on.

Will kept up the pounding rhythm for about three minutes. Then, Jem sat up and breathed deeply, attempting to get the air in and force the bad stuff out. It seemed to work for he began coughing out more mucus. Will continued this process several more times at other parts of Jem's upper body.

At the end, Jem was exhausted and he finally lay down to rest. He said he felt better after the session, but Will was still worried. His friend's face was white as a sheet. He put a hand on Jem's forehead. It was burning hot. "Jem, you're really sick," Will said. He got up and reported Jem's fever to the nurse. The nurse came over and checked Jem. She tutted and gave him some paracetemol, which he took without complaining.

Elias came soon after that and proceeded to give Jem a scolding as he filled up paperwork to take Jem out of school early. From what Will gathered, Jem was supposed to go for his regular check up a week ago, but had procrastinated, always coming up with an excuse to put it off.

"I don't know what's gotten into you. You've always been mature about your health. You know you've got to see the doctor and take care of yourself," Elias continued to scold.

"I don't want to stay in the hospital," Jem mumbled defiantly.

Elias finished the paperwork, came over to his nephew and helped him up. "No more excuses. You're going to the doctor, right now."


	7. Chapter 7

7.

Jem ended up being hospitalised and was started on a course of IV medications, as his cystic fibrosis infection had flared up. Will visited him after school the next day and found him very miserable and cranky.

He was all alone in his large hospital room. The TV was on but it was just a random talk show that filled the room with meaningless noise. Dressed in stiff hospital pyjamas, Jem looked gaunt and uncomfortable. He had curled up on the bed, making him look even smaller than he was. He was also surrounded by machines, even though they were not hooked up to him.

He brightened up with he saw Will. "I'm so glad you're here!" he exclaimed. He coughed at that sudden exertion.

Will sat on the other end of the bed. "Still no miracle cure?" he inquired.

"Nope," Jem shook his head, scowling at the IV bag looming above him.

"Must be defective. Who's in charge around here? I'll make an official complaint," Will said firmly.

Jem laughed then winced. "The side effects are killing me," he said.

"Tell me," Will said sympathically.

"I've got a headache. And it feels like I'm on a boat. I can't stabilise myself," Jem explained. Without knowing why, Will reached out and took his friend's hand. Jem gripped it hard. "That helps," he said. "I don't know why, but it does."

"Because we're brothers," Will said. "We are closer than hands and feet, one soul split into two, a strong fortress. We go hand in hand, and not one before the other. When you fall, I will pick you up, just as soon as I stop laughing."

"That sounds like a quote," Jem noted, with a big grin on his face.

"Just some stuff I read off the Internet," Will admitted. He reached into his bag and took out a packet of papers. "Your music class heard you were in here and sent greetings."

Jem took the packet and sifted through the papers. "That's sweet of them," he said. "I'll read them later, after you've gone."

"You look bored to tears," Will said.

"I am!" Jem agreed. "I was just thinking of that foam party you threw for me when I was in here last year. The nurse mentioned it earlier."

"So that's why she insisted on checking my bag when I came in," Will said.

"She didn't!"

"She did!" Will assured him. The year before, Will had visited Jem in hospital bringing with him 30 cans of Peppa Pig Moldable Foam Soap. The pair of them went wild and covered the room in foam that smelled like candy. The hospital discharged Jem that very day. It was clear the nurses still remembered that incident vividly. Will sparkled wickedly. "I wonder what we can do to break you out this time."

Jem's eyes twinkled in excitement. "I asked Colette to bring my violin when she next visits. Do you think my playing will be annoying enough?"

"Jem, please, everyone loves your playing," Will said, rolling his eyes. "There's no one who's heard you who would make you stop."

"I could play very badly," Jem suggested.

"Have you met you? I highly doubt you're physically capable of playing badly on purpose," Will quashed the idea.

"Back to the drawing board then," Jem sighed. He scratched at the dressing that covered the IV tube going into his chest. "I wish this would stop itching."

"Is it supposed to itch?"

Jem shrugged. "It would be nice if it didn't," he said. Then he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Will. I'm being such a baby and complaining so much today."

"You're perfectly entitled to," Will assured him. "Being stuck in here can't be fun."

"It's not," Jem said. "That's why I didn't want to go see the doctor. I knew my lungs were getting worse, but I knew they would send me right back in here and I didn't want to come. I wanted to have as normal a life for as long as possible."

"Suck it up and move on, bro," Will said. " _Life is short but it is wide; this too shall pass_."

"That's definitely a quote," Jem decided.

"Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," Will informed him. "I forget who's the author. And yes, it's girly book. It was Ella's and I was bored enough to pick it up one day." They sat in silence for a while. Then Will asked: "Hey, you want to play a game? Might cheer you up and pass the time." He took out his phone and waved it.

Jem sighed again. "My phone's out of battery. I can't find my charger."

"God, how did we survive before the days of smartphones?" Will quipped. "I've got a book I can give you." He reached into his school bag and took out a novel. Jem accepted it, but Will knew he probably would not read it unless he was actually dying of boredom. Unlike Will, Jem was not a reader.

Some nurses came in then to take Jem for some tests in another room. Will, seeing that he couldn't follow them, got his things to leave. He promised Jem to come back tomorrow to see him, and was glad to see his friend smile a little at that.

Less than twenty-four hours later, Will was back at the hospital and walking up to Jem's room. He heard Jem's violin long before he got there, playing a melancholic and hauntingly beautiful melody.

The door to Jem's room was closed so Will peeked through the see-through panel. Jem was dressed in his own clothes, instead of the hospital pyjamas, and was standing at the end of his bed, absorbed in his violin playing. On the bed, propped up on a pillow, was his audience – a little yellow sock monkey that Cecily had given him for Christmas.

Will decided not to interrupt by going in. Instead, he stood at the door, pressed up against the clear panel and pulled a series of funny faces. It was a few minutes before Jem noticed and burst into laughter. Will continued to make faces, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue, until Jem came over and opened the door.

"Will, what the heck are you doing?" Jem asked through peals of laughter.

"Nothing," Will said innocently. He was aware that the nurse was looking askance at him but could not tell him off just for making faces. He entered the room, dumped his bag on the bed and announced: "I've got something fun for us to do."

Jem hopped up opposite him on the bed. "What?" he asked eagerly.

Will reached into his bag and pulled out two plastic toy guys. One was bright orange and the other neon green. "Nerf guns. Cecy, Ella and I used to have epic battles in the yard back in Wales. Cecy thought you might like them. They use foam bullets so they don't hurt."

Jem picked up the green gun. "How does it work?" he asked, pointing it downwards and pulling the trigger. A yellow foam bullet shot out and bounced off the bed. He started slightly in surprise. "Okay, I get it."

"It's not rocket science, genius. Little kids use these." Will grinned. He took out several small plastic water bottles from his bag. "I figured the nurse wouldn't like us shooting each other so I thought we could shoot at these."

He set up the bottles on the table at the end of Jem's bed and the boys took turns shooting at them, making it a competition on how many each could shoot. Jem was surprisingly good at it and Will began to get louder with his complaints.

"That's not fair! I've been playing with these for years and even I can't hit so accurately," Will grumbled.

"You've got to aim higher," Jem suggested. "The bullet drops after you fire."

"Okay, wise guy, if you're that good, let's up the stakes," Will challenged. He picked up a bottle and held it up. "I'm going to toss this bottle and you're going to shoot it while it's in mid air."

"Challenge accepted," Jem said, getting up off the bed and assuming a stance, gripping the gun with both hands.

Will stood too and prepared to throw the bottle. He counted to three and flicked it up in the air. As it was coming down, Jem pulled the trigger. The foam bullet raced through the air and grazed the bottle.

"One point to me," Jem announced.

"That doesn't count!" Will argued. "It wasn't a direct hit. You've got to hit it right in the centre here." He pointed at a spot at the middle of the bottle.

"Fine," Jem conceded. "Let's have another go."

Will threw the bottle upwards again and again, Jem fired. This time, neither of the boys were sure what happened to the bullet. Jem insisted it hit the bottle. Will insisted it didn't.

"Look, you've got parallax error or something," Will insisted. "That means you thought you saw it hit but it didn't."

"I know what I did, Will!" Jem protested. "And I'm telling you, it was a direct hit. The bottle just did a spin so it looked like it was just a graze."

"I don't believe you. I didn't see any spin."

"You must have blinked. I'm sure there was a spin!"

"There's only one way to settle this," Will determined. He grabbed the bottle again and prepared to throw. "Ready?"

Jem reloaded the Nerf gun, gripped it tightly in both hands and aimed. "Ready."

"One," Will counted. "Two… Three!"

He bellowed out the last number and threw the bottle high in the air. Just as it left his hand and Jem fired the gun, the door opened and the nurse came in. "What's the meaning of all this racket?" she demanded, then shrieked as Jem's aim went awry in his surprise and the foam bullet hit her on the forehead.

"It's all his fault!" Will immediately said, pointing at Jem. "I had nothing to do with this whatsoever." Jem gaped at him in outrage and shot a foam bullet at him. "Ow!"

The nurse didn't buy Will's innocent act. "I'm sure this is entirely your fault, Will," she said. "The ward was peaceful and quiet until you came in."

Will began to protest, and Jem backed him up, saying: "He livens the place up."

"There's a difference between livening and deafening," the nurse scolded. "This is a hospital. Shouting is not allowed. And, believe you me, there was a lot of it coming from this room. Behave yourselves boys, or I might ban you from this hospital. Now go on, that's enough excitement for one day; Jem needs to rest." She shooed Will out, looking like she was glad to see the back of him. Jem waved sheepishly as the nurse herded him into bed.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

For a week after the Nerf gun incident, whenever Will visited Jem at the hospital, the nurse insisted on checking his bag and commanded that the boys keep the room door open. She checked in on them every 10 minutes to make sure they were not creating a disturbance. The boys derived great pleasure pretending to behave every time she looked in. The second she moved away from the door, they resumed whatever boisterous game they were playing.

Will wasn't allowed to see Jem after he was discharged from the hospital because he had caught a horrible cold that was making its rounds in the school. To prevent Jem from catching it, which would have wreaked havoc on his already weak lungs, Will stayed away.

When he recovered and was allowed to visit, he went immediately. His friend opened the door and had the widest grin on his face. "Will!" he greeted happily. "It's been ages since you came."

"I didn't want you to catch my cold," Will said, entering Jem's home. "What's up with you? You look like Christmas has come early. Did you miss me that much?"

Jem blushed a little. "No, it's just that now that you're here, it means I get to enjoy the company of two of my favourite people."

Will's smile faded. "And the other person is…?" he asked, a sinking feeling coming over him.

"Me," Hannah announced as she leaned against doorway to the living room and looked out to see who was at the front door. "Hello, Will. Don't look too happy to see me."

"Hi, Hannah," Will deadpanned. They all went into the living room where Jem offered Will a drink of chocolate milk. "I haven't seen you here before," Will said to Hannah.

"I've been busy. I've only just found time to come and see Jem," Hannah said.

"And I'm so glad you did," Jem said, squeezing her hand.

Will felt sick watching the two of them. "I've been busy too but I still tried to visit him every day."

"Will, I didn't know you were busy. You shouldn't have come then," Jem said. His face looked worried. "I don't want to be any bother."

"Stop it, you're worth a bit of bother," Will reprimanded sharply. "And I don't see why your _girlfriend_ couldn't take the trouble to come and visit you in the hospital."

"I don't have to justify myself to you," Hannah snapped at Will.

Jem put out his hands as if to restrain the two from lunging at each other. "She's explained herself to me, Will. Anyway, that doesn't matter. She's here now."

Will rolled his eyes in exasperation. He did not come here to pick a fight but he knew one was inevitable. "I think I should go," he decided, getting to his feet.

"But you've only just come!" Jem exclaimed, disappointment etched all over his face.

"Yeah, I just remembered that I had a thing," Will said. He resolutely walked towards the front door.

Jem followed him. "Will, is it because Hannah's here?" he guessed.

"I figured you two should have your alone time," Will evaded. "I've been monopolising you a lot lately."

"Will, you don't have to go. She said she couldn't stay long. And I like having you here too," Jem earnestly entreated.

"Don't worry. I'll be back," Will intoned, drawing himself up in imitation of the Terminator. "See ya, bro."

He did not return to the house again for nearly a week, until he noticed that Hannah hanging out after classes with boys from the school football team and acting extremely familiar with them. This seemed odd and unacceptable behaviour to him, especially since she was supposed to be with Jem. When it happened twice in a row, he decided he needed to tell his friend about her.

Colette opened the door when he got to the house. "Hello, Will. Come on in," she greeted with a small smile and helped him take his coat off. "I'm glad you're here. Jem's in a state."

Will was instantly worried. "What do you mean?" He had exchanged text messages with Jem in the last few days and he had seemed fine, if a bit terse.

"He's upset about something but he refuses to talk to us about it," Colette explained. "He's usually so upbeat, but now… He's been having a fever for the last two days too and the side effects of the medicines seem to be making him sick again. He's barely eating. I thought I'd better take some time off and keep an eye on him."

"How do you know he's upset? Jem never talks about his feelings," Will pointed out.

"His violin," she elaborated. "You can always tell his true moods by how he's playing. It sounds like it is crying. I'm very worried about him. Talk to him, Will. Maybe he'll confide in you."

Will was alarmed. He rushed upstairs to Jem's room. The door was closed but he tapped lightly on it and went in. The curtains were drawn, darkening the room. Jem was wearing pyjamas and was lying in bed, on his side, facing the wall. A bag of IV medicine was hanging above his head and dripping from a tube that went down to the Port-a-Cath in Jem's chest.

He sat on the edge of the bed and shook Jem by the shoulder. "Jem? Wake up, bro," he called. "Up and at 'em."

Jem whined a little and curled up into himself. Then he turned and saw Will. He gave a small smile. "Hey, Will," he greeted.

"Hey yourself," Will said. He went over to the window and pulled back the curtains, allowing sunlight to flood into the room. Jem winced at the sudden light. "What's up with you? You never stay in bed unless you're forced to. Colette says you're upset. What happened?" Jem shook his head but Will grabbed one of his pillows and batted him with it. "Tell me!" he ordered.

"Will, don't," Jem pleaded, putting out his hands weakly to shield himself.

Will heard something in his friend's voice that made him stop. He sat across from Jem and put the pillow down. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Jem took the pillow and hugged it. "Hannah broke up with me," he said softly, burying his face in the pillow.

"That bitch!"

"Will, don't," Jem mumbled sadly. "I knew it was coming. I knew that someday I wouldn't be enough for her. I just didn't know it would hurt so much." He hugged the pillow tighter to himself and turned his head to look at Will. "I'm so tired. I wish everything would just stop."

"When did it happen? What did she say?" Will asked in outrage.

"Three days ago," Jem replied. "She said she thought she could handle all this, you know, me being sick, the hospital and all. But she couldn't. I mean… I understand. I know it's hard for most people to be around someone who's so constantly sick. I can't do things that normal people can. I couldn't even keep up when she wanted to go to the mall." He spat out the last sentence like it disgusted him. "She deserves someone better than me." He began coughing as he ran out of breath. "I suppose I should be used to people leaving," he added. "It's not the first time."

He suddenly looked warily at Will. There was a little bit of terror and panic in his eyes, as though he had only just considered that Will might leave him too.

Will saw and fiercely affirmed: "I'm not one of those people! How could you even think that? You're my brother. We made a vow. I'm not going anywhere."

"I wouldn't blame you, you know?" Jem continued, more calmly now. "I'm surprised you've stayed this long."

"I am going to stay forever. I've told you before," Will repeated. "Get that into your thick skull, Carstairs; you're stuck with me."

Jem smiled, his first real smile since Will came in. "There's no one else I would rather be stuck with," he said.

Will hopped off the bed and yanked all the covers onto the floor. "Come on," he ordered. "Get out of bed, take a shower, get dressed and stop feeling sorry for yourself. We're going out."

"Where are we going?" Jem asked, obeying Will and swinging his legs off the bed.

"There's live music at one of the downtown pubs. I've always wanted to go. You're coming with me," Will told him.

Jem hesitated. "I'm not sure if I'm up to it. I haven't been feeling well."

"It's the classic symptoms of a broken heart," Will informed him drily. "Pull yourself together, man! You take all these medicines to stay alive – live a little!" Will went over to Jem's cupboard, opened it and rummaged through his clothes. He pulled out jeans, a blue tshirt and a maroon woollen jumper. He tossed all these willy-nilly at his friend. "Go on! Put them on."

Jem collected the clothes and headed to the bathroom. Will went downstairs and found Colette in the kitchen. She was making spicy lamb stew and it smelled delicious. "How's Jem?" she asked.

Will sat down on one of the high kitchen stools. "He's fine. Getting dressed. We're going out."

She looked surprised. "I've made dinner," she pointed out. "Aren't you boys going to eat?"

"Of course we will. It smells great. I want some," Will assured her. "Wait, there isn't anything weird in it, is there? I still vividly remember the mashed avocado you tricked me into eating."

Colette swatted him with a tea towel. "I didn't trick you. I just didn't tell you what it was until you'd tried it. And you enjoyed eating it all the same!" she reminded him.

Jem came down about half an hour later. He was pale but it seemed that he was making an effort to act normal. His hair was damp and stuck out in all directions. Colette gave him a hug when she saw him, sat him down and put a large bowl of stew in front of him. He gave her a small smile. He picked up his spoon and slowly began to eat. Colette affectionately smoothed down his hair.

Will also was given a large bowl. The lamb was soft and tender, and there were lentils, chickpeas, celery and carrots inside. The spices also added a kick to the stew. He finished his portion very quickly and asked for a second helping.

It took more than an hour for Jem to finish his bowl. But he was eating, which delighted Colette no end. When he was finally done, Will leaped up and beckoned him. "Come on, let's get going."

* * *

 **Hey guys! If you're reading and enjoying, please leave a review! Let me know which was your favourite part, or just say hi! It makes my day bigly (-new favourite word. Hehe!).**


	9. Chapter 9

9.

Will hailed a cab for himself and Jem. Once inside, he pulled out a card from his wallet and handed it to Jem. Jem looked at it – it appeared to be an identity card, complete with his photograph and personal details.

All except one. "Will, my birthday is wrong," Jem pointed out. "It's almost two years off."

"I know," Will assured him. "Just keep it with you. If anyone asks, just show them that."

Jem's eyes narrowed. "Will, where exactly are we going?" he asked suspiciously.

"I told you. Downtown. A bar that plays live music," Will said.

"Don't you have to be 18 to get into those places?" Jem inquired, turning the fake ID card over to inspect it more thoroughly.

"Technically," Will admitted. "But it's fine. We can pass for 18."

"I'm nervous about this plan," Jem announced.

"Don't worry!" Will insisted. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"They might arrest us. Throw us in jail."

"They won't throw us in jail," Will said in a reasonable voice.

"They could call your parents. Your mum scares me when she's cross," Jem pointed out.

"My mum scares everyone," Will retorted. "Stop worrying! Worse case scenario, they'll kick us out of the bar and we can't go back there until we really turn 18."

"You're planning on going to other places before you turn 18?" Jem lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

"My dear Jem," Will began, putting a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Everyone in our class has used IDs like this one to get into pubs. How do you think I managed to get one for you?"

"So you've done this before?"

"Technically… no," Will admitted. "But what could possibly go wrong?"

The cab pulled up outside a bar called The Rusty Carbuncle. The entryway was decorated with black wooden beams. The door was made of dark brown wood, treated to make it look old and weathered. A steady stream of people were entering and exiting. A group of smokers had gathered under the streetlight, the cigarette smoke wreathing them like fog.

"Will, I'm really not sure about this," Jem repeated. He looked a little ill.

"If you don't feel well, we can leave," Will offered. "But at least give it a try."

Jem gave in and let Will lead the way into the bar. Inside, the lighting was dim and what light there was had a blue tint. It was hot and the noise of music and people was deafening. The bar was decorated to look like the inside of a ship. Almost everything was wood and steel painted black. They found a table, which was essentially just a large wooden crate, and sat at shorter wooden stools.

Will went to the counter to order food and drinks. He came back quickly with two glasses in his hands. He pushed one over to Jem. "It's soda and lime," he shouted over the din. "No alcohol. Don't want to mess with your meds."

"Thanks," Jem said, accepting the drink. "What do you have?"

Will grinned wickedly. "Jack and coke."

Jem shook his head in disapproval. "I hope you weren't expecting me to carry you home if you get drunk and pass out," he warned. "Because I won't."

Will gave him a look of incredulity. "Some brother you are," he teased. Jem smirked.

Will had promised live music and there certainly was a band playing. It was not bad either. They were doing covers of rock songs and were doing it very loudly. Jem sat quietly and listened. He normally would not choose to listen to such ear-splitting volumes. But it felt nice to be lost in it, to have it all so loud that the vibrating sound waves pounded in his very bones.

Eventually the band finished their set and the bar put on club music and made the lights flash. Jem did not feel up to dancing and sat at the table most of the time. Will, however, worked the dance floor, gyrating wildly to the music. It was an amazing sensation to be among the press of bodies and the feel the energy of everyone in sync with him. He lost track of time as he danced the night away.

The next morning, Will woke up in his own bed at home with a splitting headache. Cecily's yelling did not help matters at all. He shouted at her to go away and then buried his head under the pillows in an attempt to block out the light. Eventually, his mother came up to see what was wrong and decided that he was ill. She rang his school and got him a day off to rest.

By late morning, Will was feeling much more human and emerged from his bedroom. The house was quiet, with his parents at work and Cecily at school. Will certainly did not remember coming home. The last thing he remembered was the dance floor at the bar. However, there was one person who could fill in the gaps in his memory. Will threw on his comfiest sweats, hoodie and a pair of sunglasses, and immediately went to see him.

Jem was properly dressed and had a smug expression on his face when he opened the door. "Feeling the effects of last night, are we?" he asked.

"Get out of here. How come you look perfectly normal?" Will demanded, pushing his way in. "I thought we could both be sick together."

Jem shut the door and ignored Will's remark. "Have you had lunch? I'm having a sandwich. Join me," he offered. Will followed him into the kitchen and watched as he made two peanut butter sandwiches and poured milk into two big glasses.

"Okay, what happened last night?" Will demanded.

Jem seated himself at a high stool and got comfortable. "Well, I assume you were drunk," he began.

"How much did I drink?"

"Let's see, you had a Jack and coke; no, you had two. Then you ordered a martini – shaken not stirred – and then a beer, and you ended the night with some sort of wine," Jem informed him, counting off on his fingers. "Yes, I'm pretty sure you were drunk."

"Then I passed out?" Will prompted hopefully.

"I wish," Jem said with a chuckle. "But no. Then, you went outside and started singing Don't Stop Believing. And you tried to dance. That was really... something. And then you insisted on going to have pancakes. You flagged down a cab and bellowed 'Pancakes!' at the driver."

"Oh god!" Will exclaimed, putting his head down on the table.

"Lucky for you, the driver was well used to dealing with drunks," Jem continued. "I got in – you didn't want to let me in, by the way; I have no idea why. You locked all the doors and the driver had to unlock them for me. But once I got in, I told him to take you home. Cecily helped me get you up to your room. You didn't want to go. You kept muttering about pancakes, apples and calamari rings. You kept tripping over the word 'calamari' and giggling about it.

"When we finally got you to your room, you fell onto the bed and I thought you'd finally passed out. I took off your shoes and was looking for somewhere to put them when I realised you had gotten up, taken off your socks and put them on your hands. You were making sock puppets talk to each other." He mimed the action with his own hands pressing his fingers together to form mouths.

"And then…" he put a hand to his mouth as he began to laugh. "And then you made your sock puppets recite a poem: _Behold the duck, it does not cluck. A clack it lacks, it quacks. It is 'specially fond of a puddle or pond. When it dines or sups, it bottoms ups_. You repeated that a couple of times, laughing like a loon the whole time and getting louder and louder about it. Then you suddenly yelled 'Bottoms ups!', swung up your hands and went straight to sleep. You snored too."

"Oh god," Will moaned. "How much of that did Cecily see?"

"Everything before we got you to your room," Jem informed him. "I thought you could hold your liquor. You seemed to know what you were doing in that bar."

"Maybe I need more practice," Will perked up.

"I think you've got more than enough practice," Jem said drily. "I hope you're not thinking of going back."

"Probably not to the Carbuncle. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be," Will decided. Jem looked askance at him.

Jem had been playing music on his phone when Will came in. He had not noticed before but now he did – it was one song on repeat over and over again. It was a nice song but he was getting bored of it. He asked Jem why on earth was he listening to the same song.

"Oh, that," Jem acknowledged. "I heard it in the cab last night. I like it. It was very meaningful. I've been listening to it all morning. You know I've been feeling down lately; this song helps. It reminds me that as long as I'm still breathing, there's still hope. You were asking why I wasn't lying around in bed today. This is why."

"Let's hear it properly then," Will suggested. He had not paid attention to the lyrics before, but he would now.

Jem agreed and put the song back to the beginning. It was Still Breathing by Mayday Parade. As Will listened more closely to the words, he could see why his friend might have thought the song comforting and found strength in it. It was practically screaming out his inmost feelings.

 _Give me any reason to believe, 'cause I swear I'm done here  
'_ _Cause I've seen a bigger picture and I'm looking for some answers.  
Tell me that it's worth it 'cause I'm doing all I can to fight it  
And I've never been this scared, and my moment's finally here._

 _Time's racing – please slow down – I gotta find my way out.  
I'm hopeless – but hoping – my lungs won't fail me now,  
'_ _Cause I'm still breathing._

 _It's hard to be a man but I'm doing all I can.  
I'm ready to give this all I have; I'm ready to be amazed,  
'_ _Cause I'm standing here alone, trying to make this life my own,  
And nothing will keep this heart from beating – I'm still breathing._

 _Promise me some dignity if I were to stand and die here  
'_ _Cause my heart is somewhere else, it's a pain I've never felt.  
_

 _Time's racing – please slow down – I got to find my way out  
I'm hopeless – but hoping – my lungs won't fail me now,  
'_ _Cause I'm still breathing._

 _It's hard to be a man but I'm doing all I can.  
I'm ready to give this all I have; I'm ready to be amazed,  
'_ _Cause I'm standing here alone, trying to make this life my own,  
And nothing will keep this heart from beating – I'm still breathing._

* * *

 **It's my birthday today! Please leave a review. That'll be such an awesome gift. :) _  
_**


	10. Chapter 10

10.

When Will returned to school, he made it a point to hunt down Hannah. He found her only at the third period, standing by the lockers with her gang of girlfriends, chatting away merrily. She was, as usual, the centre of attention. Will felt his blood boil to see it. He barged in, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into an empty classroom, slamming the door behind them.

"Will? What the hell!" Hannah exclaimed, rubbing her arm.

Will did not bother to reply. He pushed her roughly against the white board and said: "Didn't I warn you that if you broke Jem's heart, I would break your legs?"

Hannah turned white. "You wouldn't dare," she breathed. Will slapped her across the face, making her cry out. He then took hold of her ponytail and yanked it back. She yelled in pain. "Stop it, you brute!"

"So what was it? All a game to you?" he shouted at her. "You got bored and dropped him for someone more exciting?"

"It's not as if we were married or anything," she protested. "Let go of me!"

"Do you even care how he feels?" Will demanded. "He got sicker just because he was so upset. Because you decided you had enough of him and walked out of his life with no warning." Hannah did not reply but just hit at Will's hand holding her hair. "Oh, but you didn't even think about that. Because you hate that he was born sick. You didn't care that he loved you or that he treated you like you were the only girl in the world. No, you chose when he was ill and needed his friends the most to abandon him. You broke him, Miss Moss."

"Will, I swear if you don't let go of me, I'm going to scream and you'll be suspended," Hannah threatened.

Will did not stop. "You make me sick! What kind of a person are you? You don't care about anyone but yourself. You just play around with people like it means nothing. Well, it doesn't mean nothing. You've played the wrong boy. I'm going to make you regret hurting him!"

"Expelled! I'm going to make sure you're expelled, Herondale!" she shrieked.

Will let go abruptly, causing the back of her head to knock against the whiteboard. He took a few steps back. "God, if only you were a boy," he said. "I can't even look at you. I hope you burn in hell."

He wrenched open the classroom door to find a huge crowd gathered outside. "What are you all looking at?" he yelled hostilely and stormed off.

Later that day, he was summoned to the headmaster's office. His heart sank to his shoes when he saw that father was also there, looking extremely stern and disapproving. Mr Herondale did not say a word as the headmaster laid out the charges against Will, berated him and announced that he was suspended for two weeks for violence in school.

Mr Herondale maintained an angry silence all the way back home. Will was afraid to even glance at his father. Back home, he was ordered to go to his room and stay there, and he obeyed without protest.

Cecily gave him a sympathetic look when he passed her room on his way up. Will did not say anything to her. He just kept his head down, went straight to his room and sat on the thick carpet to await the inevitable. Each second that went by dragged on and on. It was hours before his room door gently opened. Will continued to stare at the floor. He felt numb inside.

"Will?"

He looked up in shock to see Jem standing before him. His friend flopped down onto the floor beside him. He had a sad expression on his face.

"Jem? What are you doing here?" Will asked.

"Your dad called me," Jem answered. "He asked me to come talk to you. What happened?"

"Surely Dad told you."

"He did, but I wanted to hear it from you."

Will let out a big sigh and confessed everything to Jem – how he had never liked Hannah, his threat to her earlier in the year, their agreement to switch classes to stay out of each other's way, and how he hit her earlier that day. "I was so angry, Jem," he admitted. "I couldn't stop myself. I hated that she hurt you. I know I was an arse. Please don't be mad at me."

Jem had listened to his friend without interruption. "Will," he said. "I know that whatever you do, you do with the best intentions. And thank you, for wanting to protect me. But you must know that what you did was wrong."

"I do," Will said, nodding his head vigorously. "Well, I do now. At the time, I was just so angry. I wanted to hurt her. To pay her back for everything she did to you."

"Is that all you wanted?" Jem asked.

"What else is there?"

"I think you're projecting your fears about me onto her," Jem speculated. "Because you feel that you can't do anything about my cystic fibrosis, you channelled all that anger, frustration and helplessness into creating a real-life enemy who you could do something about, and Hannah was the unlucky victim who crossed your path. What do you think?"

"I think that's crazy. Since when did you become a shrink?"

"Think about it, though, Will. What really is the problem here?" Jem prompted. "Yes, I was upset about Hannah breaking up with me, and that was probably the straw that broke the camel's back for you. But for that to make you go to the point of hitting a girl – I know you're not that kind of person normally. There's a lot of pent up frustration and disproportionate to just a mere break up."

"It was not 'just a mere break up', James! You were totally cut up over it! I saw you," Will protested.

"I know. I admit I was very upset and hurt. But your reaction seemed extreme," Jem pointed out.

"You were upset," Will insisted. "I was upset to see you upset. So I went and whacked her. End of discussion."

"So you're cool with me having cystic fibrosis and being sick?" Jem clarified.

"Sure," Will said.

"And you're okay that one day I'm going to die because of it?"

It took a great deal of effort and reluctance on Will's part before he forced out the word: "Yes."

"And you've come to terms with Ella's death?"

Will felt a surge of anger. "What has that got to do with anything?" he snapped with sudden vehemence.

Jem looked satisfied. "See, you do have a lot of pent up frustration."

"Because you're asking me all these dumb questions."

"Will, I'm trying to help," Jem ventured. "I want to know why you're so angry."

"I'm not angry!"

"You don't have to pretend with me, Will," Jem admonished. "I can see right through you. You're angry, but I don't know why. And that anger was what pushed you to hit Hannah today. Just think about it, okay?"

Jem fell silent and gave Will the chance to gather his thoughts. Will felt even more frustrated inside. He was angry, that he recognised. But was it so wrong for him to want to protect his friend? He should have done it ages ago when he found out that Jem and Hannah were going out. He could have spared Jem the hurt. But he failed to do it. It was his fault Jem had his heart broken. Will did not like that.

Was Jem right that all this stemmed from Will's desire to protect him from the cystic fibrosis illness? The more Will thought about it, the more he began to agree. He had always felt so helpless when it came to Jem's illness. He hated standing by and watching his friend slowly suffocating to death. He wanted to do something, to fight off the demons, but there was nothing to fight.

And then there was Ella. His dear sweet sister, who had died after being flung off a motorcycle. A motorcycle that he had begged her to take them on a ride on. Although it had been more than a year since her death, Will still felt guilty. It was his fault that they had gone on that ride. If it weren't for him, she would have still been alive. He was not sure if he would ever be free of that guilt.

"Say you're right and I do have anger management issues," Will finally spoke. "What are we going to do about it?"

Jem turned to face him. "I'm not shrink, like you said. But the best way is to find a healthy outlet for your anger. Take deep breaths, imagine something calming. You could play your drums." He gestured in the direction of Will's drumset. "Channel your frustrations into making something rather than destroying."

"Like you and your violin?" Will smirked.

Jem smiled. "Exactly."

Will's eyes narrowed. "How much of that did you read off the Internet?"

"Unfortunately, not that much," Jem admitted. "Most of it I learnt from counsellors at the hospital. I would be hospitalised for weeks and in isolation, and I would feel so frustrated that I wanted to scream or tear up the sheets, just something to let out all that energy I had inside."

"You're like the calmest person I know," Will told him. "I can't ever imagine you losing control."

Jem laughed. "Well, you did see me go to pieces a few days ago," he admitted. "Not one of my finer moments."

"Nope," Will agreed. "So, what else did Dad tell you? What's my punishment? Let me have it."

"Grounding," Jem delivered the news. "But I'm sure you knew that already. Essentially, you're to stay in your room for the duration of your suspension. You're not to use the Internet unless it's for schoolwork and you're not allowed to have TV."

"I suppose everyone wants me to apologise to Hannah too," Will surmised.

Jem nodded. "It would be nice if you did."

Will sighed hard. "Fine."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to all those who have left reviews so far, especially Pooch2010. :) Hope to see you guys review again and again.**

 **To answer Saffron's question - no, Tessa doesn't appear in the story.**

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11.

December quickly rolled round. Jem had returned to school and tried out for the fencing team, just as he said he would. The team acknowledged that he had skill, but it seemed that his stamina was very poor. He was accepted on the team, but he could not take part in any tournaments against other schools. He practiced every day after school but he still got winded easily and he began to get frustrated.

Meanwhile, Will delivered a flawless apology to Hannah in front of everyone in the cafeteria. It was such an eloquent performance that it was all anyone talked about for days. Even though they all knew it was not completely sincere, no one could point out any real fault with it, so Hannah was forced to graciously accept. The two stayed as far away from each other as they could since then.

The boys studied for their exams together, spending hours in their cosy corner of the Sixth Form lounge. Even though Jem had missed a few weeks of school, he ended up patiently coaching Will in many of the topics. Will repaid him by keeping them both well supplied in the snack department.

After their exams, the boys' attention was all focused on a big event – the wedding of Elias and Colette. Jem was extremely excited about it and Will gamely tagged along to any appointment Jem followed his uncle to. They had sat in on so many gown fittings, food tastings, invitation design meetings and location scoutings that Will felt he knew everything there was to know about organising a wedding.

What he did not like was when he went with Jem to try on suits. Jem was going to be the best man. However, his uncle kept procrastinating on going out to get suits so it was practically a week to the wedding before Colette put her foot down, threatened to cancel the whole wedding, then dragged them all out to get suits. Since Will was there, she insisted that he put on a suit too.

"I look ridiculous," Will whined when he came out from the changing room in his shirt, trousers, vest and blazer. He fiddled at his sleeves and collar and unbuttoned his top button.

Colette immediately did it up again. "Nonsense, you look handsome," she assured him. "Perhaps with a bowtie…" she speculated.

"No!" Will rejected firmly. "And no blazer too. What do I need to look so nice for?"

"Don't you like to look nice? It'll help attract the girls' attention," Colette teased.

"Are you inviting many girls?" Will inquired. When Colette answered in the negative, he rolled his eyes. "Exactly what I thought," he said, shrugging off the blazer. "Where's Jem? I want to see him in his monkey suit."

"I'm here," Jem said, stepping out of his cubicle. He looked immaculate and the grey suit suited him like a second skin. It made him appear fashionably skinny instead of his usual war orphan look. "Will, you look so good," he complimented. Will huffed peevishly in reply.

Colette made Jem turn round for her. "I think the tie doesn't suit you," she commented. "And the jacket seems a little bit too big." She went and spoke to the shop assistant who made the changes and brought Jem a smaller sized jacket and different coloured bowtie. "Yes, much better," she decided after he put it on.

Elias was next in line for inspection. He had on a shiny white tailcoat with sequins and red bow tie and cummberbund. He held out his arms and spun round once. "What do you think?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Yes," Jem said, nodding his head with a grin.

"No," Colette said, shaking her head with a frown.

"What's wrong with it?" Elias asked in disappointment, looking down at his suit.

"You look like Liberace and Elton John had a secret love child," Will opined.

"Really? I thought it looked suave in a George Clooney kind of way," Elias said, looking at himself in the mirror.

"George Clooney would not go anywhere near anything with sequins on it," Colette informed him. "Take off the cummerbund," she ordered. He obeyed, but Colette still shook her head.

Elias gave up on trying to save the outfit and went to pick something else to try on. Colette fussed over Jem in the meantime, adjusting his vest and tie and asking for alterations to make the suit compliment his tall thin frame better.

"Okay, I think this is a winner," Elias announced. He came out and everyone made noises of horror. The velvet suit was maroon with embroidery at the cuffs and lapels. A white neckerchief was threaded through the collar. Overall, it looked like it had come out of a Victorian museum.

"Why do you even have this in your store?" a flabbergasted Will asked the shop assistant.

"Themed weddings," the shop assistant answered shortly.

"You are most definitely not wearing that!" Colette exclaimed, ushering him back into the changing room. "Take it off. I'll find something suitable for you."

"That was what I asked you to do in the first place," Elias grumbled.

Colette gave him a small smack on the arm and sent him inside. She then came out and looked through the available suits. She rallied the boys to help her to find a nice single-breasted blazer while she searched for the other pieces.

Will followed Jem around the shop. Jem seemed to know what he was doing. He often pulled blazers off the rack, held them up against Will and then put them back. "You know I'm not the one wearing this, right?" Will asked after Jem did that for the fifth time.

"I know. It's just what I've seen people doing in the shops," Jem explained. He pulled out a solid black one with black satin lapels. "What do you think?"

"Sure," Will said after glancing at it.

"Will…"

"Hey, I know nothing about suits! It looks fine to me, just like the last five did," Will protested.

"Well, I like this one for Uncle," Jem decided. "It's formal but has the shiny bit to stop it from being funerary."

Colette gave it the seal of approval. She had picked out an ivory coloured shirt that matched her own wedding gown, and accompanying waistcoat and bowtie. As she fused over Elias, Jem suddenly pulled Will aside, hiding behind a few racks of colourful prom dresses. "Now that Uncle and Colette are occupied, I want to talk to you about something."

"If this is about blazers, no, I will not wear one. I flatly and adamantly refuse," Will firmly told his friend.

"It's not about that," Jem assured him.

"A flock of rampaging ducks will not make me put on that straitjacket they call outerwear," Will continued to rant.

"It's not about the blazer!" Jem repeated in exasperation. "Would you please listen to me, Will?"

Jem rarely demanded that Will pay attention to him, so this novel experience made him quieten down. "What is it, Jem?" he asked in a gentler voice.

The other boy took a deep breath before he said: "Uncle and Colette asked if I would like them to adopt me."

"That's nice," Will remarked. Then he caught the queer look on Jem's face. "Isn't it?"

Jem sighed. "I don't know. I told them I had to think about it. It would be nice to really belong to someone again. But, I already have parents." He paused for a long and awkward moment before correcting: "Had parents." He fiddled with the sequins on a dress. "I don't know what to do, Will. I'm worried that if I tell them no, they'll think I don't love them. They've done so much for me already; the last thing I want to do is make them think I'm rejecting them."

Will frowned. "You think they'll think you don't love them just because you don't want them to adopt you?" he clarified. "Your parents are your parents. They'll always be your parents, even if they're dead. You've got the right to keep it that way. You can love your uncle and Colette and your parents at the same time."

"But what if they don't see it that way?" Jem worried.

"That's absurd!" Will exclaimed. "Your uncle should know better than anyone that you can't just replace a family member. You do what you think is right. If you don't want them to adopt you, tell them. They love you. And I'm pretty sure they know you love them. It's not as if they're going to toss you out of the house."

Jem seemed a little less tense after hearing that. He nodded. "You're right," he said. "Thanks, Will. I knew talking to you would help."

"Always glad to be of service," Will doffed an imaginary hat. "We'd better go back. I hear Colette calling you."

Colette was indeed calling loudly. She made Jem put his adjusted suit on and stood him next to his uncle, who was looking quite good in the outfit they had picked out for him. She whipped out her phone and took a few photos of the two of them.

"What was that for?" Elias asked as he tugged at the cuffs of his jacket.

"Reference," Colette said cryptically, typing away at her phone. "You both look so very handsome, I must say." The pair smiled almost identical sheepish smiles. "All right, go on, I think we're done here. Go get changed. Jem, you look exhausted. We should probably go home after this."

Jem gave her a quick salute and went into the changing room. About a minute after he went in, though, he began coughing quite hard. Colette went to his cubicle, which was separated from the rest of the room by a heavy curtain and called: "Jem, are you okay?"

There was no reply, only more coughing and gasping. Then, abruptly, Jem stopped coughing and there was a loud thud. Colette immediately pulled back the curtain to reveal Jem lying unconscious on the floor. He was white as a sheet and his breathing was ragged.

Will was terrified. "Do you want me to call an ambulance?" he offered frantically.

Colette was slapping Jem's face, trying to revive him. Elias then came out of his own cubicle, his hair a rumpled mess and his T-shirt on inside out. He rushed to Jem's side and checked him over. "He's choking," he said. His voice was calm but there was an undertone of fear. He turned Jem onto his side and began to administer rescue breathing.

It was only a minute but it felt like a lifetime before Jem took a shuddering breath and started coughing again. To Will, those hacking coughs were suddenly the sweetest sound in the world.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

Colette and Will stood on the pavement outside the clothing store waiting for a taxi. They had given the first taxi to Elias and Jem, and were now stuck out in the cold as car after car passed by, but no taxi. Will was uncharacteristically quiet. He shuffled from one foot to the other, scruffing the soles of his shoes against the rough pavement.

"Are you all right?" Colette asked him.

Will thought about it for a while then admitted: "I don't know."

Colette put an arm around him. "It's okay to be scared," she told him. "Jem is very dear to all of us. When something happens to him, we all worry."

"I've never seen him get so bad that he faints before," Will said softly. "I thought he was dying."

"I'll let you in on a secret," Colette leaned in conspiratorially. "I thought he was too." She shook her head. "I'm supposed to become his parent in a few days and I was completely clueless on what to do to help him."

"Jem told me you guys asked to adopt him," Will changed the subject quickly.

Colette smiled. "Of course he did. I should have known by now that 'I need to think about it' really means 'I need to talk to Will' in Jem-speak. What did he say?"

"He said he already has parents," Will reported. "But he's worried that if he turns you down, you would be hurt and think he's rejecting you."

"That silly boy," Colette said affectionately. She then perked up when a cab came into view. She stepped off the curb and onto the road, waving frantically until it stopped so Will could get in.

Will received a text from Elias later that night saying that Jem had an infection and was resting at home. That did little to allay his anxiety, but Elias discouraged Will from coming. He said that Jem needed to be in as germ-free an environment as possible while he recovered. Since Will had to take the Tube to get to the Carstairs' house, he would be in contact with too many strangers and may bring germs to Jem, which could have disastrous consequences.

So Will stayed away, satisfying himself with long phone calls with Jem. His friend definitely sounded ill but was determined to talk. He was due to stay with Will when Elias and Colette went on their 10-day honeymoon in Egypt, and was very excited about it. The boys spend hours discussing what they were going to do in that time.

The day of Elias and Colette's wedding, Will got up early and dressed early and, for once, was the first one down for breakfast. The wedding was being held at a community centre in Finchley, an area where Colette's family lived and where there was a very large and tight-knit Middle Eastern community. When Will got there, it was already bustling with a gaily dressed crowd.

There was a large sign by the entrance announcing that the wedding ceremony would take place in the main hall at 10am. However, someone had cancelled out that time and wrote 1pm.

Thinking this very strange, Will tried to look for Jem and Elias, but could not find them anywhere. His phone calls also went unanswered. He then decided to look for the only other person he knew there – Colette. After asking what felt like a hundred people, he was finally directed to a room off the side of the main hall. Colette was in there, wearing her wedding gown and surrounded by a throng of women who looked like they had just opened up their own make-up studio.

"Will!" Colette called when she spotted him and waved.

Will waved back. "Where's Jem?" he asked. "Why is the wedding re-timed?"

Colette swatted away a few of her relatives so she could talk to Will without yelling across the room. "I don't know exactly what happened. Elias called me this morning to say he had to take Jem to the doctor and we had to push the wedding to the afternoon."

Will was alarmed. Surely it must be something very serious to make Elias postpone his own wedding. "Is Jem all right?"

"He didn't say," Colette replied. Unfortunately, someone else arrived then who seemed excited to see the bride, and Colette's relatives pushed him away. He left and began wandering around the hallways of the community centre, fretting all the while.

Someone invited him to go into the hall for some food at around noon. Will followed and was amazed to see the hall elaborately decorated in Persian style. Right in the middle was a raised platform covered in an embroidered ivory cloth. There was a set of candlesticks and a mirror set on the platform in front of two matching chairs draped in white cloth. The reset of the platform was full of fruit, flowers and candy. Off to the side of the hall was a buffet, where guests were currently helping themselves to lunch while waiting for the groom to arrive.

Will scooped some basmati rice and spicy stewed lamb onto a plate and began to eat. It was delicious. He went back for several more helpings before he decided to move on to the kebabs and the fish. Colette had cooked for them before but Will now realised how much she diluted her dishes. These were so full of spices that it was like an explosion of flavour in his mouth.

Just as he was going back for another helping, a girl came up to him. "Are you Will Herondale?" she demanded. She looked like a smaller, less defined version of Colette and was wearing a very poofy pink dress. When Will affirmed that he was who she was looking for, she told him that Colette wanted to talk to him, and turned on her heels immediately, clearly expecting him to follow.

The crowd of female relatives was still in the room but they let Will through. "Will, Elias just called me," Colette began. "He and Jem are outside, in a cab by the entrance. He says to send you out. I have no idea why. So, could you please go out and see what he wants? And tell him to hurry up if he still wants to get married."

Will chuckled at her last sentence and dashed off outside. He found a green ride-sharing car. In the car, Jem was sitting next to Elias with an uncharacteristically sullen expression on his face. They got out when they saw Will.

"Hey, what's going on?" Will asked. "Are you okay, Jem?"

"I'm fine," Jem said. His tone of voice suggested that he had been saying this for a long time with no one believing him.

"His doctor finally had time to squeeze us for a proper check up in this morning," Elias explained. He was wrestling with two garment bags. "Will, I've got a very important task for you. I need you to stick like glue to Jem. He can't be around any germs. It's your job to make sure no one so much as clears their throat near him, and if they do, to get him out of there."

"I don't need a babysitter, Uncle," Jem protested exasperatedly.

"Will stays with you or you don't attend the wedding!" Elias thundered.

"I'm not a child. I can take care of myself," Jem insisted.

"But clearly you can't be trusted to do that," his uncle countered. "Well? You can get into this car right now and go straight back to the hospital. It's your choice." They engaged in an intense staring contest.

Jem caved first. "I'll stay with Will," he demurred.

"Good. I will talk to you later." Elias pushed a garment bag into Jem's arms. "Go get dressed," he ordered as he dashed off with his own bag.

As the boys watched him disappear into the building, Will turned to Jem and asked: "Okay, what happened?"

Jem slowly trudged towards the building too, clutching the garment bag. "I had to go see the doctor this morning. They did tests," he explained. "The doctor said my lungs were in bad shape. They wanted to admit me. Uncle wanted me to stay in the hospital, but I didn't want to. The doctor said it could wait a few hours, till the test results were back, and I could attend the wedding first."

"What did he mean, that you couldn't be trusted?"

Jem sighed. "I hadn't been feeling well for a while but I didn't tell anyone. I was taking Benylin to try and stop myself from coughing…"

"You know that thing doesn't work, right, mate?" Will couldn't help interrupting.

Jem sighed. "I know now," he said glumly. "Anyway, it just made things worse because it just masked the symptoms. I couldn't cough to clear my lungs, so the mucus built up and became infected. Uncle's angry because the doctors said that if only I had sought treatment earlier, things wouldn't have been so bad."

"Why didn't you go see the doctor earlier?" Will was perplexed. "You're always so health conscious."

"I knew they would hospitalise me. I didn't want to go," Jem said. They had reached the building by now. "Where can I go to change?"

Will pointed to a bathroom and followed him there. "You know, your uncle's sort of right."

"Will, don't take his side," Jem said sharply. "Why can't anyone see it from my point of view? Whether I'm in hospital or not, nothing they can do is going to make me well. I'd rather be dying at home than locked up in a hospital room." He marched into a bathroom stall and slammed the door.

"Jem, don't be mad at me," Will pleaded. "I'm just saying…" he trailed off, unable to find the words that would soothe his friend's anger. "Never mind," he finally said. "You should probably just get dressed so we can all start the ceremony. Colette's getting impatient."

"It's all my fault, isn't it? I've ruined the wedding," Jem said in a strangled voice. "Everyone's mad at me today."

"Not me!" Will affirmed. "And I'm sure there are people out there who don't even know it was you." Jem started coughing and Will heard him sit down on the toilet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Stop asking me that!" Jem demanded when the coughs stopped. The stall door opened to reveal the boy, handsome in his suit, but white as a sheet.

"I can't help it, it's a reflex action," Will informed him. "You don't have to answer that question. As long as I see you walking and talking, I'll know you're okay."

Jem pursed his lips and did not reply. He gestured to Will to lead the way and followed his friend into the main hall. There, the boys stood silently as the wedding ceremony took place.

Elias and Colette entered and sat on the two chairs in front of the raised platform. Some of the bridesmaids held a white cloth over them like a canopy. Some other family members ground pieces of sugar over the cloth to symbolically shower them with sweetness in their marriage. An official said a few words and had Elias, Colette and the witnesses sign the legal marriage documents.

Jem began coughing again at that point, first quietly into his sleeve, then getting louder. Will quickly pulled him out into the hallway outside where he doubled over with spasms. Will said nothing, knowing that it would only upset his friend further. He just stood by and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Do you need anything?" the girl in the poofy pink dress came out and asked them. Will shook his head. "Well, they're married now. You missed it," she informed them. On hearing that, Jem slid down onto the floor, hugged his knees to his chest and hid his face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi guys! I'm posting this chapter a bit earlier because I'm going on holiday! Hence, next week's chapter may be a bit late (I'm not sure of the time difference). Anyway, enjoy and review! :)**

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13.

Will let Jem sit quietly on the floor for approximately two minutes before he said: "Come on, Jem, I'll take you home."

"All that argument to be here and then I missed it," Jem grumbled, still hiding his face in his knees.

"Yeah, well, c'est la vie," Will said. He grabbed Jem's arm and tugged to make his friend stand. Jem's expression was closed and unreadable. "I'll text your uncle to tell him I'm taking you home."

"Fine," Jem said. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. It worried Will.

Jem did not say anything through the entire cab ride back to Ealing. When they got to Jem's home and let themselves in, Jem just mechanically took off his coat and headed upstairs to his room. Will gave him some time alone then went upstairs. He found him laying on the bed, still fully dressed, his face buried in the pillow.

"Do you need anything?" Will asked.

"A new set of lungs would be nice," Jem replied, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Unfortunately, I'm all out of those at the moment," Will said with mock cheeriness, pretending to be a salesman in a shop. "I don't think we have any in the back either." When his quip raised no response from Jem, he added glumly: "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

He turned and was just out of the door when he heard: "Will, don't go."

He immediately doubled back. Jem had turned onto his side to look at him. "I'm sorry I'm being such a baby," he apologised.

Will sat on the chair at Jem's desk. "I know you're really tired of hearing this, but you really have to take care of yourself," he said. "If not for yourself, then do it for me. I don't want you to die. Not yet, anyway. I want you to be healthy so we can hang out and do stuff. Did you take your meds?"

Jem nodded tiredly. "I took some before I got into bed," he said. "And I want to hang out with you too. Do fencing, make music, midnight snacks, talk about stuff… horses, swimming…" he trailed off, his eyes slowly closing.

"You falling asleep on me, bro?" Will inquired. "It's lucky I took you home when I did. It'd have been a laugh if you fell asleep in the middle of the wedding. Really, you're like a kid who doesn't know when he's had enough."

Jem let out a little laugh. "I have you to look out for me," he drawled.

Will watched him sleep for a while, feeling grateful for the regular sound of his breathing. Then, he crept downstairs, trying to be quiet so as not to wake Jem, and turned on the TV in the living room. It was more for something to do than because there was anything specific to watch. There was a large stuffed toy Minion with one eye sitting on the sofa with him. He played games on his phone until the battery ran out. Eventually, he too fell asleep while lying on the sofa.

When Jem shook him awake, it was dark outside. "I thought you'd left," Jem said.

"You wanted me to stay, so I stayed. Your wish is my command," Will replied. He observed his friend. Jem still looked ill and exhausted, but he was on his feet and smiling, which was good. Will's stomach growled loudly. "Now, feed me, O my master!"

Jem laughed. "I've put the kettle on. Come and see what soup and Pot Noodles you'd like."

Will followed Jem, who was still dressed in his formal suit, though it was considerably more rumpled than it had been, into the kitchen. It was warm and Jem had laid out a wide selection of powdered soup and noodles. "Don't you want to get real food?" Will inquired.

"This _is_ real food. Pot Noodles, the fuel of Britain, as they say," Jem pointed out.

"Shut up. You know what I mean," Will said.

"I like soup," Jem reminded him, but he opened up a tin of sausages all the same, which Will fell upon like a starving man. Jem had a small bowl of soup with noodles inside.

Will entertained Jem with stories of things he, Cecily and Ella got up to when they were younger. He was told Jem about the time they stole a huge wheel of cheese and a whole string of sausages from the kitchen and then attempted to melt the cheese over the radiator in their playroom to make toasties without going down to the kitchen. They had put the cheese on, intending to let it soften. They then proceeded to play a game and forgot about it. They remembered only when the room began to stink of burnt cheese. The radiator was a gooey mess.

"What did your mum and dad say?" Jem asked, laughing and coughing.

"We had to scrape the cheese off ourselves," Will grinned. "We tried. It was such a pain. Eventually, Ella managed to charm Dad into just replacing the whole radiator."

"Ella sounds like Cecily. She can charm anyone into doing anything for her," Jem observed.

Will agreed. "That one's a little terror. But she learnt from the master."

"Didn't you?"

"I learnt other things," Will said mysteriously. "I was, after all, Ella's first apprentice."

There was a small commotion at the front door then and the two boys went out to the hallway. The door opened and revealed Elias and Colette. They were still wearing their wedding suit and gown but Elias' cuffs were unbuttoned and Colette's hair was coming loose from her elaborate coif.

"Jemmy!" she exclaimed when she spotted him. She pulled him into a big hug and kissed him exuberantly on both cheeks. Elias also joined in the hug. "We're one family now," she announced. The two adults seemed more than a little tipsy.

"We brought back some of the food for you," Elias held up a bag filled with plastic containers.

"Thanks," Jem said curtly, taking the bag. "We've eaten, actually."

"Try some anyway," Colette urged. "Will can help; he knows what we have. I need to take a shower and change." She squeezed Jem's arm affectionately as she passed him on the way upstairs.

Jem went into the kitchen and unpacked the takeaway containers, putting them away into the refrigerator. Will made him scoop out some basmati rice and kebabs. Jem couldn't eat anything beyond a few bites. Will finished the rest of the plate for him.

"I suppose I should go home," Will noted after he had washed the plate and put it into the drying rack. "Are you going to be okay?

Jem looked disappointed. "I wish you didn't have to go."

Before Will could answer, Elias came down the stairs. The sleeves of his formal shirt were rolled up, making him look awkward and uncomfortable. Colette was not far behind; she was cleaned up and wearing normal clothes. She looked worried.

"Jem," Elias began. "I just had a call from your doctor. Your X-rays and lung function test results are back. It's not good. They want you to go in tonight and start the medicine as soon as possible." Jem looked striken and burst into tears. Colette rushed forward to hug him. "Jem, I'm sorry," his uncle continued. "We'll stay with you. We don't have to go to Egypt. We can have a honeymoon any other time."

Jem pulled away from Colette's embrace. He had stopped crying and his face was an unreadable mask. "No. Don't change your plans. I'll go to the hospital on my own. It's not as if I haven't done this before," he said. He turned stiffly and went upstairs. Will followed and watched Jem take out his bag. It was already packed in anticipation of staying with Will. He removed his case of medicines and put them aside. He would not need them in the hospital.

"Do you want me to get anything for you?" Will asked.

"No," Jem answered shortly. Will hated this helpless feeling he had as he watched his friend mechanically adjust the contents of his bag, taking out the outdoor clothes and adding in more pyjamas. He was an expert at packing for the hospital by now.

Elias and Colette changed their clothes and took the boys to the hospital. Will was surprised to see his parents there when they arrived.

"Mam? Dad? What are you doing here?" Will asked them.

"Mr Carstairs called us," Mr Herondale said. "He thought we should be here, since we're supposed to take care of Jem while he's away. How are you feeling, Jem?" Will's father turned to the boy.

Jem had not said a single word on the way to the hospital. It now took him a lot of effort to smile and say: "I'll be all right. Thank you for coming." Mr Herondale patted Jem on the back reassuringly.

"Don't worry about anything," Mr Herondale told him. "You tell us if you need anything. Will and Cecily can come and see you every day."

"They don't have to," Jem protested faintly. "I don't want to be a bother. I know coming to a hospital is never fun."

"Jem, how many times? It's not a bother!" Will scolded. "You're meant to be having a holiday with me. If you can't come stay with me, then I'll come to you."

Jem smiled like he didn't quite believe his friend. Will wanted to scold him again. After so long, did Jem really not believe he would always be there? Will felt outraged and a little insulted at that thought. He decided that he was going to prove that his friend was wrong. No matter what other people may have done to Jem, Will would show him that he was different. He was someone to be counted on and trusted completely and wholly.

He did not have the chance to say anything else to Jem for the nurses swooped down on him and bundled him off to his room. He managed to convince Elias and his father to let him go to say goodnight. They eventually relented. Jem was back in the same room that he always had in the hospital. He had changed into a pair of blue checked pyjamas. There were nasal cannulas in his nose and a tube in his chest. A nurse was doing physical therapy for him. Will winced to hear him cough painfully.

Elias saw it. "Will, go home," he ordered. "There's nothing more you can do for him tonight. Colette and I will take care of him and you can come see him in the morning."

His parents agreed. His father put a hand on his shoulder and firmly marched him down the corridor. Will protested but ultimately followed his parents into the car to go home.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

In the morning, Will and Cecily marched behind their father down the corridor of the children's hospital in Ealing. Cecily carried a large jigsaw puzzle under her arm and had a large blue plastic picnic mat stuffed inside her backpack. Will's backpack was full of snacks, video games and books.

Elias and Colette were in Jem's room when they got there. They looked exhausted, as though they had not slept the entire night. Jem was sitting up and had a plastic plate of porridge and scrambled eggs in front of him. He too looked like he was ready to crash and sleep for a week.

"Good morning!" Will greeted brightly. Everyone turned to stare at him.

It was very awkward until Jem let out a "Morning, Will. I didn't expect you so early. Hey, Cecily." Cecily waved at him. She was a little quiet upon seeing Jem hooked up to all the tubes and machines.

"I had to go to work so I thought I'd drop these two off here," Mr Herondale explained. "Weren't you supposed to fly off today, Elias? Did you stay here all night?"

Jem's uncle nodded. "The flight's not until the afternoon." He yawned widely.

"I'll give you two a lift home," Mr Herondale offered. After a few more pleasantries, the adults went out to speak to the nurses, leaving Will, Cecily and Jem behind.

Will went up to Jem and stole a bite of his porridge and eggs. He grimaced. "Who the hell made that? It's worse than when I tried to cook."

"Thank god; I thought it was just me," Jem said, pushing the plastic plate away.

"Did you eat anything?" Will asked. The plate looked practically untouched.

Jem shrugged. "What have you got there, Cecy?" he asked, changing the subject completely.

Cecily hopped up to sit on the opposite end of the bed. "It's a puzzle. I thought it would be fun." She held up the box to show a picture of dolphins frolicking underwater next to a reef teeming with marine life. "And I've got a mat so we can spread it all out on the floor."

"That sounds like fun," Jem encouraged. "Why don't you set up by the window?" He struggled to push himself off the bed. Will tried to help and grabbed his pillows, placing them carefully so Jem could lean against the wall when he was sitting on the floor. Cecily had spread open the picnic mat, opened up the puzzle mat and dumped out all the puzzle pieces.

"You turn them all the right way round, Will can sort them according to colour and I'll pick out the edges," Cecily ordered.

The boys obeyed. Jem was slow in his task but he did it very meticulously, passing Will and Cecily appropriate pieces. Will quickly got bored and began to make little pyramids out of the various piles. When that was done, he began turning them the wrong way round, so the blank cardboard faced up, and fitting the pieces together based on feeling.

"Will, stop it, that's not helping," Cecily whined. "Why can't you just make the puzzle like normal people do?"

Will carefully flipped over the largest segment he pieced together. Surprisingly, they were all in the right place and formed part of the picture. He gave his sister a smug look. Cecily pouted and pointedly ignored Will.

"How did you do that?" Jem gaped.

"It's a miracle," Will exclaimed in mock awe. "Call the pope. I might be the undiscovered patron saint of puzzles."

"No you're not. You just got lucky," Cecily huffed. "I bet you can't do it again."

"You're on!" Will accepted. He flipped over the next pile of puzzle pieces and began putting them together. His expression grew even more smug as he completed the segment. "And now, for the big reveal," he announced, flipping it over to show the picture.

Unlike before, this one was not perfect. There were a few pieces that, although they fit together, did not form the whole picture. Cecily got up to dance a mocking jig around her brother. Will threw the remaining pieces at her. She threw them back and soon, Jem joined in. The three of them quickly abandoned all thought of putting the puzzle together and were more absorbed in a minor war.

Their shrieks drew the attention of the nurse, who threw Cecily and Will out for being too rowdy. The siblings were undeterred. They left the hospital as ordered but returned a few hours later with a large sausage and cheese pizza for lunch. The nurse eyed them suspiciously when she saw them walking down the hospital corridor but let them through on the condition that they made sure Jem ate something.

"You're back!" Jem cheered happily when he saw them.

"And we bring gifts," Will added, dragging the tray table over and placing the pizza box on it. "Lovely gooey cheesy pizza. It's a little bit cold by now, but pizza is pizza. Eat up."

Jem obligingly took a slice and bit into it. He chewed hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" Cecily asked. "Don't you like pizza?"

With seemingly great difficulty, Jem swallowed his mouthful of pizza. "I just haven't had much of an appetite lately," he admitted.

"You have to eat, Jem," Will admonished. "You're skin and bone. You'll fade into nothing or blow away in the wind pretty soon."

"I'll finish this slice," Jem promised. "You guys have to help me with the rest."

"That was the plan," Will said. "What? Did you think this whole pizza was for you? Don't be greedy. Sharing is caring." Jem burst out laughing.

The Herondale siblings demolished the pizza. Jem struggled through his one slice but managed to finish it.

"Why don't you tell us what food you like?" Will suggested, wiping away stray smears of tomato sauce from his mouth. "Then, we can go get it for you. And don't you dare say soup. Solid food."

Jem thought about it for a long time. Then he said shyly: "There's a shop in Chinatown that serves very good noodles and dumplings. I'd like that." Then, in a louder voice, he added: "But I don't want you to go to any trouble."

"Shut up. It's no trouble," Will assured. "Now, where do we find this wonderful shop?"

Jem drew them a map and gave them detailed instructions on how to navigate the little side streets of Chinatown to get to the shop. The Herondale siblings then set out to find the place. They soon discovered what a warren it was.

"I told you, we should've turned into that alley next to the shop with the roast ducks," Cecily insisted, taking the map from her brother. They had been wandering around Chinatown for more than half an hour but still had not located the shop.

"No, we were supposed to turn into the alley after that," Will argued. "Look, it's the shop selling the Japanese snacks, like Jem said. We're going the right way."

"Those aren't Japanese snacks! Those are Korean."

"How the hell would you know Japanese from Korean?"

"How do _you_?"

Cecily pouted. Then she suggested: "Maybe we should ask someone. Jem told you the name of the shop, didn't he?"

"He did, but it's in Chinese. I can't say it."

Cecily slapped him on the arm. "We're going to be wandering around here forever!" she wailed.

"No, we're not," Will said firmly.

"This is all your fault. You should've listened to me. I knew the directions."

"Well, you take over then."

"I don't know the way from _here_!"

"Oh, _fod yn dawel_ , Cecily!"

To Will's great surprise, she obeyed and stopped talking. It lasted for about a minute. "I'm sure we've passed by that creepy lion statue before," she observed. Will ignored her. So she continued: "Why don't you just call Jem and ask him for more directions?"

"I don't want to bother him. He's supposed to be resting," Will said. He made another turn and found a group of people queuing in front of a shop. He observed carefully for a few moments before concluding: "This is the one."

Cecily stood beside him and frowned. "Are you sure?"

"There's a queue, it's a noodle shop and those things look like Chinese dumplings," Will pointed out. "Here," he held up the paper where Jem had written some Chinese characters that was the name of the shop. "They look the same, don't you think?"

They joined the queue. When it was their turn, Will said: "I'd like three servings please. To go." The Chinese man behind the counter gave him a blank look. He then said something in Chinese. It sounded like a question. "Er… yes?" Will answered, even though he had no idea what the man just said.

The man shook his head and gestured at some of the cooking implements. Will looked to Cecily but it seemed like even she could not decipher what the man was saying.

Will tried again, gesturing expressively as he did so: "Look, we'd like just three bowls of noodles with the dumplings. And we'd like it to go, please. You know? Three? In a bag? To take away with us?"

"Maybe you should call Jem now," Cecily suggested.

"I said we're not going to bother him," Will snapped. He continued to try and talk to the man, with each of them getting visibly more frustrated as time went by. The people behind them in the queue began muttering in Chinese. Finally, someone in queue took pity on them and stepped forward to translate.

Having secured three plastic bowls of noodles, Will navigated more successfully back to the main street. Cecily made him stop at one of the more English of the Chinese restaurants to buy cilantro pancakes and fortune cookies. Thus laden with goodies, they made their way back to the hospital.


	15. Chapter 15

**Anyone still out there reading? Leave me a comment so I know you're there. ;)**

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15.

Jem was delighted to see Will and Cecily enter his hospital room. "I smell something nice," he pipped. "You guys didn't really go to Chinatown to buy the noodles, did you?"

Will held up the bag containing the plastic takeaway bowls. "Just like you ordered," he announced. "Eat it before it gets too cold." He placed the food on the table and began to unpack them. He was heartened to see Jem's eager expression. He placed Jem's bowl on the tray table and his and Cecily's on another table at the end of the bed.

As they ate, Will told Jem all about their adventures in Chinatown, with Cecily throwing in snide comments.

"Thanks for not telling us how to order in Chinese, by the way," Will informed him. "I felt like a clown trying to get him to understand me." He waved his arms around in the air to demonstrate the lengths he had to go to.

Jem was very apologetic. "There's usually a woman there who speaks English and can take orders," he explained. "That's how Uncle Elias orders when he goes there. She must be having a day off."

It took Jem nearly two hours but he finished his entire bowl of noodles and dumplings. Cecily then insisted on opening the packet of fortune cookies. She passed the bag round and Jem and Will each took one.

Will went first: " _Next time you have the opportunity, go on a rollercoaster_." He grinned in excitement. He liked theme parks and rides. "Think this would be a good opportunity to ask dad to take us to Thorpe Park for a day?"

"I want Legoland," Cecily argued.

"You're 13 and you still like to play with Legos? You're such a baby," Will teased. "Thorpe Park is more fun. The rides are more exciting, and you don't have to deal with toddlers throwing tantrums."

"Jem, open your cookie," Cecily ordered, brushing aside her brother's comments. They would settle it at home, if they could convince their parents to even consider the idea of going to an amusement park.

Jem cracked it open, taking care not to let the crumbs onto the bed. " _Don't be hasty, prosperity will knock on your door soon_ ," he read. "That's nice. We could do with some money."

"Maybe you'll win the lottery," Will suggested.

"I don't play the lottery," Jem countered.

"Then maybe you should start," Will continued. "The journey to a thousand pounds begins with a single pound for a lottery ticket. Give me the money and I'll buy you one tonight."

"It says not to be hasty, so I don't think we should run out to buy lottery tickets right this minute," Jem pointed out. Will shrugged to acknowledge the point.

"My turn!" Cecily shouted, waving her cookie around excitedly. It broke into pieces, which she immediately popped into her mouth. "Mine says: _Your true value depends entirely on what you are compared with_."

"That's deep," Jem remarked.

"No," Will said. "If we compare you to the queen of demons…" Jem threw a pillow at him to stop him before he could say anything mean. "Hey!" he cried in surprise.

"What he means to say is, if we compare you to, say, Lizzie Borden," Jem began, "Your value would be beyond measure. Personally, compared to having no sister, you are the best in the world. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my sister but you."

Cecily's expression softened. Then she turned and whacked Will on the head. "Why can't you say nice things like that?" she demanded.

Will rubbed his head where she had hit him. "This, my dear sister, is why."

She pouted. Then she held out the fortune cookies. "Again," she ordered.

Jem picked the first one. " _Do not let doubt and suspicion bar your progress_ ," he read thoughtfully.

"You have something in mind," Will observed. "Do share."

Jem lowered his head. "I was thinking of my CF treatments. I've always been doubtful and sceptical about why I had to do them, since I barely see any progress." He held up the fortune cookie paper. "I suppose this is reminding me that I shouldn't doubt. That I should have faith in the doctors and in the medicine. Maybe one day I will be well."

"You will be!" Will fiercely affirmed. "I won't let anything happen to you, not if I can help it."

"Thank you, Will," Jem said, though it did not sound as though he meant it. In a more enthusiastic voice, he added, "Whose turn is it for a fortune?"

"I'll go next," Cecily volunteered. " _You will be an inspiration to others_. I love this!" she held it out and proudly showed it to Will. "See? People will be inspired by me. They're going to look up to me and think I'm wonderful."

"Yeah, right," Will scoffed. "Maybe you'll be so terrible that you'll inspire people not to be like you."

Her happy expression faded. "You're mean," she pouted. "I'm going to sit with Jem. At least he likes me." She climbed onto the bed next to Jem, who scooted over to make space for her.

"Oh yeah, suck up all you can, you _bach_ _diafol_ ," Will sneered. "Maybe if you behaved with me like how you behave with Jem, I might like you better."

"Come on, Will, she's your sister; surely you like her a little bit," Jem mediated.

"Just gimme a fortune cookie," Will demanded. Cecily threw one at him. It connected with his chest and shattered on impact, scattering crumbs all over him. "You…!"

Jem quickly interrupted. "What does the fortune say, William?"

Still scowling at Cecily, Will picked up the piece of paper from the floor. " _Be unconventional, even visionary_."

"There you go, maybe Cecily will inspire you to become visionary," Jem speculated.

"Am I not unconventional enough already?" Will inquired. "I must be doing something wrong."

A nurse popped her head in then. "Visiting hours are over in 20 minutes," she informed them.

"We've got so many cookies left!" Cecily protested. "Let's do a few more rounds. Really quick. I'll go first: _You will have good luck and overcome many hardships_. That's nice. Maybe I'll be able to deal with you, Will."

"You keep telling yourself that," Will said, giving her a sickly sweet smile that suggested he had exquisite tortures in mind ready for her.

Jem went next: " _Be receptive to new ideas from all fronts_. I suppose this goes with the doubt and suspicion one I got earlier." He put it aside carefully.

Will came up to them, stood beside the bed and snatched a cookie: " _Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves._ "

"That's what I keep telling you, Will," Jem noted. "You bring so much joy into my life, how can you remain so brooding in your own life?"

"Didn't you know, Jem, clowns are the saddest people of all?" Will sighed. Then he broke out into the song Tears Of A Clown.

Cecily, clearly irritated, shoved the fortune cookie bag at him again. Will obligingly ceased singing and took another cookie: " _Relish the transitions in your life – they will happen anyway_." He suddenly looked fearfully at Jem.

"It could be talking about anything," Jem remarked, nonchalantly ignorning Will's expression. "We all have to go through change in our lives." He reached out and took a cookie: " _Dispel negativity through creative activities_. This is an easy one. I've got my trusty violin with me. All will be well. And one of these days, those therapists will be in here trying to make me do watercolour paintings."

"You're not serious?" Will queried.

"I am. I don't know what is it with hospitals and arts and crafts, but I wish they'd stop. I don't like the smell of paint," Jem complained.

"My turn," Cecily announced, picking up a cookie. " _Your fortune is as sweet as you_. Hah! I am sweet! See, Will, I'm sweet, inspirational and I am of high value." Will rolled his eyes.

The nurse came back. "Time's up. It's like a pig's sty in here. Why are there crumbs everywhere? I hope you were intending to clean it all up."

Cecily assured her that they were, and she and Will used tissue paper to wipe up the crumbs as best they could from the floor and visible surfaces.

"We'll leave the rest of the cookies here, in case you get hungry and need a snack," Cecily offered, placing the packet on Jem's nightstand.

"What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?" Will asked. "We'll get it for you."

"I couldn't ask you guys to buy me more food!" Jem protested. "I don't want to trouble you more."

"It it was any trouble, I wouldn't ask; I've told you before," Will said in exasperation. "Now, what do you fancy?"

Jem thought about it. "Something with peanut butter?" he suggested.

Will made an okay sign with his fingers. "Order noted," he acknowledged. "We'll attempt to deliver it bright and early in the morning. Don't fill up too much on the horrible hospital food. We'll bring you real food."

Cecily gave Jem a sudden hug. "Goodnight Jem," she said fondly. "I like you as a brother too."

"Okay, Cecy, get off him before you dislodge any of his tubes," Will prompted, pulling his sister off Jem.

"She didn't hurt me," Jem assured them. "Goodnight Cecy. Will you come back tomorrow?"

"Try and stop me!"

"I'll look forward to it. You too, Will," Jem entreated.


	16. Chapter 16

**Huge thanks to Divergentprincess, Aureliabunny and anonymous Guest for the sweet reviews in the last chapter! :)**

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16.

The nurse stopped Will and Cecily in the corridor when they returned to visit Jem the next morning. She looked very serious. "Will, your father is Jem's guardian while Mr Carstairs is away, right?" she asked.

Will nodded. "Yes, he is. Why?"

"Is he around? We need to talk to him."

"I'll give him a call. Is Jem okay?" Will asked.

"He had a rough night," the nurse said vaguely.

Mr Herondale was quickly summoned and he returned to the hospital where he had just dropped his children off. The nurse fetched the doctor, who spoke at length to him about Jem's condition. It turned out that Jem had got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and had fainted. When the nurses discovered him, they found that there was so much mucus build-up in his lungs that it was causing him to drown in his own body.

"What can be done about it?" Mr Herondale asked.

"That's the conundrum," the doctor explained. "His body is very weak. When we do airway clearance therapy with him, he can cough out a lot of the mucus, but it exhausts him. When he rests, mucus builds up again and the cycle continues. The more he coughs, the more tired his lungs get. They are at risk of collapse. We'd like to try suctioning."

"Suctioning?" Will interrupted in horror.

"That sounds painful," Cecily agreed.

The doctor acknowledged them. "There is a level of discomfort. It is common for patients to gag because the tube goes down their throats."

"What exactly does this suctioning do?" Mr Herondale inquired.

"Suctions out the mucus from the body," the doctor explains. "Jem doesn't need to do anything except relax."

"If this is so beneficial, why hasn't it been done on Jem before?" Mr Herondale asked.

"We didn't need to before," the doctor answered. "Plus, there is some risk – infection, choking, lung collapse, among others. Jem was doing fine with manual airway clearance. He didn't need the machine's help. But now, it seems like he does."

Mr Herondale considered the doctor's words. "I suppose, if this is your professional opinion of the next step he should take, then you should go ahead," he consented. "I will inform Mr Carstairs. When will you carry out the procedure?"

"Jem has just completed manual airway clearance and is resting," the doctor said. "We'll give him a few hours before we try the machine."

"Very well," Mr Herondale concluded. "Come, Will, Cecily. I don't think you should be hanging around today. Jem needs peace and quiet."

"Oh but Dad!" Will whined. "We can be peaceful and quiet too. And we promised Jem we'd come to see him today."

"You heard what the doctor said. Jem needs to rest," his father urged.

"He can do it with us in the room," Will insisted.

"Then Cecily, at least, goes home. I seriously doubt the two of you can pass a few hours peacefully in the same room together," their father pressed.

Cecily was not happy about that. "No!" she fumed, stamping her foot. "I won't go. Jem wants to see me too. He likes having me here, doesn't he, Will?" Her father turned to Will, who reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Their father eventually gave in, but gave the nurse strict instructions to throw them out should she hear the slightest disturbance from either of them. They both swore to stay quiet as church mice and were let in to see Jem.

Jem was lying on his side, asleep. Will and Cecily crept in and picked their seats – Will on the chair at the end of the bed and Cecily on the wide window ledge. They each pulled out a book and began to read quietly. It was so quiet that the nurse popped her head in to check on them.

Nearly an hour passed before Jem began to stir. "Will, is that you?" he called.

Will dragged his chair as quietly as possible over to the side of the bed facing Jem. "Hey mate," he greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," Jem replied. He started coughing and Will helped him to sit up so he could breathe better. Cecily put his bed into an upright position so he didn't have to lie down.

"You should've told us we were tiring you out yesterday," Will reproached. "We didn't want you to over-exert yourself."

"I was tired, but I didn't want you to go. It's nice having company here," Jem retorted. "And it's not you. It's me and my stupid lungs."

"Are you hungry? We brought you peanut butter and chocolate pancakes," Cecily said.

Jem gave her a small smile. "It sounds delicious. I'm not hungry but I'll try to eat."

Cecily beamed at him and took the plastic lunchbox containing a stack of pancakes out of her backpack. She also had utensils, a small bottle of syrup and a carton of chocolate milk for him. She set everything up on his tray table and wheeled it over.

"A feast fit for kings," Jem joked. He picked up the fork, cut a piece of pancake and began eating slowly. He struggled through two small pancakes before he had to stop and rest again. Cecily diplomatically cleared away the leftovers.

The doctor came in later that morning to check on Jem. With him was the nurse, wheeling the suction machine in. Jem's eyes widened when he saw it. He put up some protest but the doctor wore him down. With the nurse's help, they adjusted the bed so Jem's head was slightly tilted back. The doctor sprayed something in his mouth and throat and applied gel to his nose before carefully inserting the tube.

Jem began to gag and he struggled to get up reflexibly. However, the doctor and nurse held him down, urging him to stay still. The more they tried to calm him, the more agitated he got. He looked over at Will with utter terror in his eyes.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Will ordered. "Just stop!"

To his surprise, the doctor actually listened to him and quickly removed the tube. Jem immediately bent forward, gagging and coughing hard. Tears were running down his face. Will hated seeing Jem in pain like that. He went to his friend, took his hand and rubbed his back reassuringly.

"Jem, we do need to try that again," the doctor urged.

"Give him a minute," Will demanded. The doctor obligingly stood aside. The nurse left the room and returned with a cup of warm water for Jem to drink. They waited for about 10 minutes then did the procedure again. This time, Will and Cecily both stood by him and held his hands to try and get him to relax.

"Why don't you talk to him?" the nurse suggested. "It would take his mind off things."

Will looked at Jem inquiringly and his friend nodded. So, Will obliged. "All right," he started. "I'll tell you something interesting I found yesterday. Yesterday evening, after we went home, I was feeling bored. So I went over to Cecily's room to borrow a book."

"You went into my room? Without asking me?" Cecily asked in outrage. Jem gave a little snort of amusement.

"You weren't around at the time," Will said nonchalantly. "Anyway, I went into Cecily's room. After I waded through her collection of Twilight novels…"

"I don't have a collection of Twilight novels!" Cecily denied, blushing hard.

"Your mouth says no, but your face says yes," Will teased. "But your crush on sparkly vampires isn't the point here. The point is, I found a card. Containing a love poem. Written by you. Would you care to tell me who you were writing to?"

Cecily turned white. "You had no right to be reading my stuff."

"Stop it, you two are supposed to help Jem relax, not start an argument!" the doctor snapped at them. He pushed a button on the suction machine, which made loud gurgling sounds. Jem immediately tensed up, anxiety filling his eyes.

"Jem, relax. It's all going to be okay," Will said conversationally. "But, back to our _discussion_."

"I'm not talking about this with you," Cecily insisted. "You'll only make fun of me."

"As if I wanted to discuss my little sister's love life," Will grimaced.

"You're the one who brought it up," Cecily rebutted.

Jem suddenly gave both of their hands a very sharp yank and shot them both a warning look. Cecily scowled at Will, who pulled a face at her. "You tell whoever it is that you're seeing that they better be nice to you or your brother will break their arms," Will finally said. Cecily rolled her eyes. Jem's lips curled upwards.

The suction procedure took less than five minutes, with the doctor letting the machine run for a few seconds at a time. A large amount of dark mucus was drawn out. When they removed the tube from Jem's nose, he coughed a little but it sounded a lot less congested than before.

They carried out the procedure two more times that day. It got easier the more they did it, but Will and Cecily still stood by Jem. Their bickering helped to distract him from the uncomfortable feeling of fluid being drawn out of his lungs. However, like a referee, he had to rein them in sometimes before they descended into childish fistfights and name calling.

When Will and Cecily got ready to go at the end of the day, Will said: "Sorry we were fighting so much, Jem. We were supposed to help you relax and rest, but we didn't."

"Don't worry," Jem assured him. "If you two didn't fight, I'd be worried. It's so much a part of your sibling relationship." Cecily stuck her tongue out at Will. Jem laughed. "You two being nice to each other; that would be weird."

Will ignored Cecily and shrugged. "I hope you're feeling better. That suctioning today looked rough."

"It actually helped," Jem admitted. "It was worth all the trauma. It's so much easier to breathe now."

"You do look better," Will observed. "Maybe you can be out of here by Christmas."

"Fingers crossed!" Jem agreed hopefully.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks KrissyFairing00 and Guest for the reviews. :D**  
 **guest I think you need an account. Or maybe you could just leave your name/nickname at the end of each review. ;)**

 **Anyway, Merry (early) Christmas everyone!**

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17.

When Jem heard his hospital room door open, he sat up eagerly. He loved having his best friend Will visit him every day. It made the tedium and discomfort of being hospitalised easier to bear.

To his surprise, it was just Cecily who entered the room, carrying a very big, very pink teddy bear wearing a silver bowtie. It was as big as she was. Jem gaped at it in surprise.

"What are you carrying?" he asked.

"It's a bear," she said in a tone that suggested he was stupid for asking the obvious. "It's for you." She approached the bed and put the bear in Jem's lap.

"Er… why?" Jem asked, struggling to find space to shift the bear so he could see Cecily.

"To keep you company when we aren't around," she explained with exaggerated patience.

"You do like giving me things that are of extreme sizes, don't you?" Jem teased. He patted his breast pocket, where the little yellow sock monkey that Cecily gave him last Christmas peeked out from. "Where's Will? Is it just you today?"

"Dear brother has got a sore throat. Mam said he had better stay at home today," Cecily explained. "He got into the refrigerator last night and ate an entire tiramisu all by himself."

Jem giggled. "Yes, that sounds like our Will."

"Selfish; I wanted some too. Anyway, I think he got drunk from all the alcohol in it," Cecily gleefully informed him. "He got out the Twister dial and was pushing it round and round going 'wheeeee'."

Jem began to laugh. "I wish I could've seen that. Did your parents find out?"

"No, their room is quite far away from ours," Cecily said. "But Will got a telling off when Bridget reported the tiramisu missing this morning." She strode over to the window seat, which she had claimed as her own, and put her backpack down. She opened it and removed a container of sandwiches and a thermos. "This is for you," she said, giving them to Jem. "Peanut butter and banana sandwiches and tea. I made it myself," she added proudly.

"Did you know, I woke up today feeling hungry for the first time in days?" Jem said. He shifted the giant teddy bear aside, opened the container and took out a sandwich. "In fact, I haven't felt so well in a long time."

"What do you want to do today?" Cecily asked after Jem had eaten a sandwich.

"If it's all right with you, I'd like to play my violin for a while," Jem said.

"Sure. I'll read my book," Cecily decided. "Do you need me to get your violin for you?"

"No, just help me get up." Jem swung his legs over the side of the bed and Cecily grabbed his arm to stabilise him. "Thanks, Cecy. I seem to have lost some of my strength."

"You're ill. It's understandable," Cecily said. She helped Jem over to where his violin case was leaning against the far wall, and carried it for him as he made his way back to the bed.

Once back on the bed, Jem moved the teddy bear to the end of the bed and placed the violin case before him. He opened his case and began to rosin his bow. Cecily watched in fascination as he ran the amber coloured bar up and down the bow then began to tune the violin.

"How do you do that without a piano?" she asked.

"I have perfect pitch," Jem told her. He sounded embarrassed. "I've been playing the violin since I was a child. I know how it's supposed to sound." He tucked the violin under his chin and played a scale. "Any requests?"

"Something happy!"

Jem grinned and played The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba by Handel. He played slowly at first, then picked up speed as he warmed up. He lifted his bow with a flourish when the song was over and Cecily applauded. "Play something else!" she commanded.

Jem needed no urging. He immediately segued into a Mendelssohn violin concerto. The passionate music filled the room like waves on a stormy sea. Then he paused; he could not remember the whole song without the sheet music. He gave a small shrug and began a new song – Bach's Allegro Assai.

He continued with little snippets of songs that he remembered. The hospital room fell away as he played. The only thing that he was conscious of was his fingers dancing over the strings and his arm manipulating the bow to wring out beautiful music.

Cecily got up and began to dance around, just swinging her arms and skipping around the room to the music, laughing as she did so. Jem smiled to see her and he played more jigs and reels for her. He stopped when she tried to emulate Riverdance, tripped and fell onto the bed.

"Are you all right?" he asked in concern.

Cecily was still laughing. "That was awesome!" she exclaimed. She lay across the foot of his bed. "It was so fun." She then rolled over onto her stomach and leaned her head on her hands. "Do you know how to dance, Jem?"

Jem put down his violin. "A little bit. I'm not going to win any dancing competitions though."

"Can you teach me?" Cecily requested.

"Why the sudden interest?"

Cecily suddenly blushed. "We're having a Christmas party. Mam wants it to be Victorian themed, so we're gonna get a string quartet and there's going to be ballroom dancing. But I don't know how to dance."

Jem considered for a moment then climbed off the bed. He put out his hand to Cecily. "Would you like to dance, Miss Herondale?"

She took his hand and hopped off the bed enthusiastically. "What do I do first?" she asked.

"I'll show you the waltz. That's pretty easy and should get you through most songs," Jem said. He positioned her in front of him and instructed her on where to place her hands – her left hand on his arm and her right held out. He then took his position. "This is how you should be standing. Your partner's hand should be here, just at your shoulder blade. Don't ever let a boy touch you anywhere else, okay? That's disrespectful." Cecily nodded. "Okay, I'm going to step forward with my left foot; you go back with your right."

They went backwards and forwards a few times. There were a few trodden toes at first, but they got used to each other. After that, Jem led Cecily to do some sideways steps. They graduated to the full box step, slowly at first, then at a faster tempo. Then, Jem began to lead her through seemingly more complicated steps. Instead of just staying put with the box step, he led her to move around the room.

Cecily was alarmed when she realised what he wanted to do. "Jem, I'm not sure about this," she warned.

"Trust me," he said with a smile. They moved to the other side of the bed and he suddenly began to twirl around in circles. Cecily was nervous at first but she began to relax as she moved in sync with Jem. She squealed in excitement when he released his hold on her and spun her round like a ballerina. He caught her in his arms at the end.

"That was so fun!" she cried. They went back to sit on the bed and Jem leaned tiredly back, panting with the exertion. "Who taught you how to dance, Jem?"

"My father," he answered. "When I was younger, he and Mama played music together at home. I would be jumping around like you were doing. There would come a point when Papa would put his violin down and ask Mama to dance. I loved to watch them. It was like they were moving to a song only they could hear. Eventually, Papa taught me and I danced with Mama while he played songs like Blue Danube, Viennese Blood Waltz and Voices Of Spring."

"That sounds nice."

"The night he died, he played for me and Mama to dance. It was the Merry Widow waltz," Jem reminisced. His expression turned wistful. "I remember thinking it was such a whimsical and pretty piece. Mama was leading and lifting and twirling me around, since I was much smaller than she was." He sighed and shook his head as though to clear the mists of the past. "Waltzes are easy. You should be fine. Even if your partner doesn't know what to do, you can lead."

Jem eventually settled down for a nap. Cecily curled up on the window seat with the giant teddy bear for company. Jem had never told her anything about his childhood before, so she felt privileged to have been given that little snippet. She used to have a crush on him, but that had cooled into sisterly affection. She missed having another sibling in her life who wasn't Will.

A sharp cry from Jem startled her. His eyes were closed but he had a worried look on his face.

"Jem?" she went over and touched his shoulder. He did not wake. He was murmuring something in Chinese but she could not make out what. She wondered what she was supposed to do. She read somewhere that people should not wake those who are having nightmares. However, she hated to just stand there and do nothing.

So she made a decision. She took off her shoes and climbed into the bed to lay down next to Jem. She snuggled up to him and put her arms around him. She squeezed him tightly, just like how her sister Ella used to do for her when she had nightmares. She remembered how she felt safe when someone was holding her tightly.

It seemed to work. Jem calmed down and was soon sleeping peacefully again. As she watched him sleep, she felt a rush of fierce protectiveness. Jem was her brother too and she wasn't going to allow anything bad to happen to him if she could help it. She hugged him a little closer to her. Nope, she would let nothing happen to him on her watch.

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 **Hoped you liked the chapter. Go listen to the waltzes (Blue Danube, Viennese Blood, Voices of Spring and Merry Widow) on Youtube. Andre Rieu's versions. They're lovely.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks HetaStar and Pooch2010 for the reviews! Yup, I love writing little anecdotes about Jem and his parents. We see so little of them in the books.**

 **Hope everyone had a good Christmas. and a Happy (early) New Year!**

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18.

Jem woke up to find Cecily cuddled up beside him in the hospital bed, hugging him as though he were a teddy bear. He was very bemused. He had never thought he would find himself in such a situation, with a girl sleeping with him. He wondered what led up to this, and then wondered what Will would say if he could see this. His friend had once given his blessing for Jem to date his sister, but that had been theoretical and a long time ago.

As he stirred, Cecily woke. "Hey Cecy," Jem greeted. "What were you doing?"

She looked confused for a while as she struggled to wake up. Then she said. "You were having a nightmare. I wanted to help."

Jem smiled affectionately at her. "I think it did help. I slept really well."

"What were you nightmaring about?"

A haunted look crossed his face. "My parents," he replied shortly. "I don't usually dream about them. I suppose it was because we were talking about them earlier."

"Did you ever think about going back to China?" Cecily asked curiously.

Jem shrugged. "I'd like to. But it wouldn't be the same. I'm not sure if I can face that."

He and Cecily continued to chat casually until Bridget, the Herondale's cook, appeared at the door to hand Cecily a large insulated container full of beef stew and several bread rolls. She did not come in, to limit Jem's exposure to germs. He and Cecily shared the stew, which was extremely strong and rich. Bridget had melted potatoes in it, making it so thick that they could almost stand a spoon up in it.

The afternoon was as laid back as the morning, with Cecily reading a book out loud while lounging at the foot of the bed, and Jem resting and listening. The quiet was broken by a commotion out in the corridor, and Jem's room door was suddenly flung open. A stocky blonde man came in, followed by a tall Middle-Eastern woman.

Jem sat straight up. "Uncle Elias!" he exclaimed in surprise. "And Col… Aunt Colette," he corrected. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't due back for another week."

Elias went straight to his nephew's side. "Will's father called to say you had gotten worse," he explained. "We were worried about you." His eyes inspected Jem to take in any possible hurt or deterioration in his condition.

"But you were on your _honeymoon_. You're _not_ supposed to be back yet," Jem repeated.

"Did you think we could enjoy ourselves while you're sick and in hospital?" Colette asked. "We spent one day trying to sit by the pool before we decided that we would much rather be here."

"You came back just for _me_?" Jem was bewildered.

"Of course not for you; for ourselves. To ease our own minds," Elias snapped irritably. "Now that we see that you're still alive, we can go back to our own business."

Jem smiled and threw himself into his uncle's arms and hugged him. Elias' gruff expression melted away. Colette smiled affectionately at the two of them.

She turned to Cecily. "Where's your brother? I thought he's always where Jem is."

"Will's got a sore throat. Mam kept him at home," Cecily explained.

"Speaking of home," Elias said, reaching for his bag and pulling out a brown paper envelope. "We went home before coming here and found a note from the postman. There was an attempt to deliver you a piece of registered mail. We picked it up from the post office on the way here." He handed Jem the envelope. "Who's sending you registered mail?"

Jem took the envelope and examined it. It was addressed to James Carstairs and there was his name in Chinese characters Ke Jian Ming. It was postmarked Shanghai. He tore open the thick paper and extracted several sheets of paper. He read the top sheet carefully, his expression growing more serious the more he read. "It's a summons. They want me to appear as a witness in a court trial," he finally said.

Elias immediately snatched the documents from him. He scanned them but was stumped by the Chinese words. "Who's it from?" he asked, holding up the top sheet, which looked like a letter.

"Aunty Lijuan," Jem replied. Seeing the blank faces around him, he explained. "She was Mama's colleague. She used to come over in the evenings and talk to Mama for hours. She says they've taken up Mama's case and gone after the triad boss who she had been pursuing. They've managed to bring the case to trial. They want me to testify that he was behind Mama and Papa's deaths."

"Certainly not," Elias said firmly. "You are not flying to China to testify at some trial. You were just a child then. What would you know about these things?"

"I was there! I saw it all happen and I can tell them that," Jem argued.

Colette quickly moved to stand between them. "I think we should let our lawyers look at this before we decide anything," she mediated.

Elias' face was like thunder. "I need to talk to my nephew about this. Alone, please."

Cecily immediately jumped to her feet. She was getting uncomfortable with the sudden escalation of events. "I'll go home," she announced. "Bye, Jem."

"Must you go?" Jem asked. "Will you come tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll bring breakfast. And Will," Cecily assured him. She waved goodbye and left the room.

Meanwhile, Elias was looking significantly at Colette. She noticed and frowned. "Oh no," she said firmly. "Jem is now my nephew too. Whatever is happening, we talk about this as a family."

"This is the past. I don't want you involved. It's too dangerous," Elias pleaded.

"Elias Carstairs, when I married you, I married your past as well," Colette scolded. "Jem's past too. I didn't know exactly what happened, because you never talk about it, but I know it was something big. I didn't come into this relationship with my eyes closed. We are a family now," she repeated. "If there is danger then I will face it with you."

Elias' expression grew soft. "You're such a strong woman, Colette. And so brave," he said, giving her a kiss.

"Words," she told him teasingly. "Now, put them into action."

"I don't want you or Jem to go to China," Elias said. "They want Jem to stand trial. The last time Wen Yu tried to take down that triad boss, she and Jonah were killed. It could happen again. I don't think I could stand it if anything happened to you or Jem."

"It's been years, Uncle," Jem reminded him. "Nothing will happen."

The three of them went back and forth in this vein for several hours. The argument was halted when visiting hours came to an end and Elias and Colette went home. Though Elias usually stayed with Jem when he was hospitalised, they decided not to this time so they could see a lawyer first thing the next morning to discuss the matter.

Jem waited with bated breath the next day. Will and Cecily came back to see him that morning, bringing Spanish omelette and ham for his breakfast. Will tried to tell him all about the movies he watched while he was at home the day before, but Jem could not be distracted. He had his laptop out and was reading up everything he could find about the trial.

Luo Chunguang led the notorious Shanghai Jade Dragons Gang for nearly 20 years, after his predecessor died in mysterious circumstances. During that time, his reign of terror included extortion, intimidation, smuggling, corruption and murder all through the city. Jem's mother, Ke Wen Yu, was the lawyer leading a team to gather evidence of his activities to bring him to trial. She had already managed to bring down several of his deputies by the time of her death.

Now, with the new Chinese government cracking down hard on corruption, Wen Yu's colleagues, now led by Lee Lijuan, decided the time was ripe to move against Luo again. They had been collecting evidence for years and believed they had a solid case. Luo had been arrested months before, and the trial was still going on, as his lawyers were skilled at getting postponements and delaying matters. For every victory the prosecution made, the defence hit back hard as well. The case could go either way, and with many witnesses still afraid to appear, the prosecution were worried that they could lose.

Jem spent the morning reading up on all this and making sure he knew what was going on. Most of the articles were in Chinese but he could read them easily enough, and it got easier as he became more used to the language and writing style.

When Elias returned after lunch, Jem immediately snapped his attention to his uncle. "Well?" he demanded. "What did the lawyer say?"

Elias sighed. "He said you are obligated to appear as a witness unless you have a reasonable excuse. That includes being hospitalised," he pointed out. "Jem, I really don't want you to go to China. It would serve no purpose other than to open up old wounds."

"I could help take down the man who killed my parents," Jem said fiercely.

"Would your parents want you to take revenge?"

"It's not revenge; it's justice!" Jem replied. "Mama always said that justice is the most important thing. She believed in this case. She would want me to testify." Elias didn't say anything for a very long time, as though deep in thought. Jem prodded. "Please, Uncle? This is very important to me. I have to do this."

Elias sighed again. "Very well," he gave in. "But only if the doctor says you're all right to fly."

"Thank you, Uncle," Jem said. Elias nodded curtly and stood to leave the room when Jem added: "I have one more request, Uncle."

"What?" Elias asked, his tone cautious.

"I'd like Will to come too," Jem said, turning to his friend. "That is, if your parents allow it."

"I've given you an inch but you ask for a mile, James," Elias said in a warning tone.

"I don't mind," Will piped in. "In case anyone wants my opinion."

"We'll see what the doctor says," Elias said, clearly banking on the doctor to back him up and say that Jem was not fit to travel, so the whole lunatic endeavour could be called off.


	19. Chapter 19

**Bit of a filler chapter, but hope you all like it!**

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19.

Unfortunately for Elias, the doctor cleared Jem for travel, saying that with the proper care on board the airplane, he would be fine. Elias was not happy about that, but he could not go back on his word.

Will, too, was given permission by his parents to accompany Jem to Shanghai, since it was still the school holidays. Jem was ecstatic. He would finally get to show his best friend the city where he grew up, and share a part of his culture with him. Plus, Will had never been to China, so it was an adventure for the both of them.

Within three days, the two boys, accompanied by Elias and Colette gathered at Heathrow airport for their flight. Will arrived later, with his parents in tow, and was shocked to see Jem seated in a wheelchair at the check-in counter.

"Are you all right?" he asked in alarm.

"I'm fine," Jem assured him. "This is so it's easier for me to get to the boarding gate. I don't have to exert myself walking so far." He had a big backpack strapped to the back of the wheelchair and another wheelie carry-on next to him. He noticed Will staring at the many bags and explained: "These have my medicines and vibrating vest and generator. So I can do physical therapy on the plane if I have to."

Will's parents waited for them all to check in, then gave Will a hug and instructions to behave himself, before waving them off as they entered the transit area. It was crowded with people, but most of them gave way as soon as they saw the wheelchair. They were also allowed to board the plane first.

Elias led the way to their seats – a row of four bulkhead seats. Colette and Will took the aisle seats, leaving Elias to sit with Jem in the middle. The first thing Elias did when they arrived was to whip out a packet of disinfectant wipes and wipe down everything. He gave Jem's seat a double wiping before allowing the boy to sit down.

"Uncle really concerned about germs," Jem stage whispered to Will.

Unfortunately, his uncle heard. "Laugh all you like, Jem. You'll thank me when you don't catch pneumonia, meningitis, MRSA, Ebola or Sars," he said witheringly. "And put on your coat; I don't want you touching those blankets. I read that they hardly ever clean them."

"I'm sure they aren't riddled in germs, Uncle," Jem remarked.

"We're not taking that risk," Elias declared. Jem rolled his eyes but obeyed and put on his coat.

Will, to commiserate with his friend, also ditched his own blanket. "Should we put on rubber gloves so that we don't have to actually touch anything? Maybe rent a Hazmat suit? They make them in your favourite yellow colour," he suggested in mock derision. Jem gave a little giggle. Will kicked off his shoes and propped his feet up on the wall in front of him. "I guess we should get comfortable," he said. "It's going to be a long flight, isn't it?"

"Twelve hours, I believe," Jem said sadly.

"It'll be fine. We can have a movie marathon," Will suggested. He flipped through the list of movies offered. "Oh look, they've got all six Star Wars movies. Let's watch that!"

Jem agreed and the boys made their way through Episode One as the plane took off and reached cruising altitude. As they began Episode Two, they were served a meal – Jem had chicken with pasta while Will had beef with potatoes. As usual, Jem finished less than a quarter of his food and Will polished off the leftovers for him.

"I'm surprised that you have an appetite for this dry airplane food," Jem observed in amusement as Will transferred his empty container onto Jem's tray to make room for his friend's uneaten pasta.

"It's no Michelin star restaurant, but it's not bad," Will remarked as he shovelled pasta into his mouth. "And I'm hungry." Jem just looked on indulgently and picked at his bread roll.

After the meal, Elias tried to make Jem take out his vibrating vest to do his physical therapy. Jem adamantly refused. He didn't want to draw attention to himself by coughing hard in the enclosed space of the plane. He also did not want to admit it, but he was afraid that if he started coughing, something bad might happen. He would rather spend 12 hours in denial than risk something bad happening while up in the air.

Elias was extremely unhappy about this but there was nothing much he could do about it. So he just huffed in disapproval, put on his eye mask and appeared to go to sleep.

The rest of the plane also settled down for the night as the lights dimmed. Jem was exhausted. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Sleep, however, was elusive. He felt awkward to be stuck in this position that was neither sitting up straight nor lying down. He was cold because of the air vent that his uncle had positioned to blow straight at him, to create a barrier against germs. He pulled his coat closer around himself, trying to find any pocket of warmth. His nose and throat hurt from the dry air.

He turned to look at Will next to him. His friend was splayed out in the chair fast asleep. His mouth was wide open and a bit of drool was leaking out. Jem smirked to see it. His friend liked to think he was very mature and grown up, but it was times like this that emphasised that he was still a teenage boy just coming out of childhood. Jem debated whether or not to take a photo of the scene just so they could laugh over it later.

He bent down to grab his bag and take out his phone. As he snapped the photo, he spotted Colette grinning at him from where she was sitting on the other side of Elias. Her grin turned affectionate and she reached over to touch Jem's arm, in an unmistakeable gesture to ask if he was all right. Jem forced himself to smile back at her.

"Get some rest," she mouthed at him.

"Can't sleep," he whispered back.

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Just close your eyes then," she suggested. "It'll be easier to drop off."

Jem nodded. He turned on his TV screen to see how much longer the journey would take. He almost cried when he saw there was nearly seven hours more. He was feeling so uncomfortable. His back hurt, his lungs were burning, his head ached and he felt like if he died right at that moment, it would probably be a relief.

He felt a huge coughing fit coming on. So he unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. He noticed Colette watching him again and motioned for her to accompany him. She looked alarmed but also undid her belt and hurried over to his side. He pulled her into the tiny toilet where he burst out into uncontrollable coughing.

"Jem!" Colette exclaimed in shock. She pulled down the toilet cover so he could sit down, and knelt before him so he could brace himself. He suddenly jumped up and leaned over the sink to vomit up brown gunk. He grew paler with each successive spasm and tears rolled freely down his cheeks. Colette hated seeing him so ill but could do nothing about it. She just put her arms around him to support him.

When the attack was over, Jem was too tired to even hold himself upright. He leaned weakly against his aunt, and gasped as he caught his breath. Colette held him and stroked his hair back gently. "You're all right, Jem," she assured him. "You're going to be okay."

She helped him back to his seat and prodded the sleeping Elias. "Move," she ordered when Jem's uncle pulled up his eye mask in bewilderment. He obeyed and shifted to Colette's seat, allowing her to settle in next to Jem.

"Don't you want to sleep too?" Jem whispered, not wanting to disturb the other sleeping passengers.

She fussed with his coat and also wrapped her purple shawl around him. "I can't sleep on planes," she explained ruefully. "Never been able to. Not without sleeping pills anyway, and those give me a headache and horrible dry mouth when I wake up."

Jem smiled to acknowledge her remark. "So what do you usually do on flights?" he asked.

"Well, usually when I'm sitting farther back, I like to watch other people's movies," Colette told him conspiratorally. Seeing his confused expression, she elaborated: "I look and see what other people are watching. Once, I spent a whole flight from Dubai watching an Indian gentleman watching a Hindi movie featuring a villain who regularly drank kitten soup. At the end, he was attacked by a whole pack of cats. It's amusing, since I would never have thought to watch that movie."

Jem laughed. "That sounds like a very bizarre movie."

"I suppose it was," she chuckled. Then she asked: "Are you tired? Do you want to rest?"

"I'd like to, but I don't think I'll be able to," he sighed. "It's too uncomfortable."

Colette gave him a sympathetic look. She then lifted up the arm rest between them and pulled Jem over so he could lean against her. "Close your eyes," she ordered.

Jem obeyed but immediately opened them again. "Colette, do you think you and Uncle Elias will have kids?" he asked.

She frowned. That was a question that came out of the blue. "Probably," she finally answered. "At least two. A boy and a girl."

"That'll be nice," Jem whispered. He looked like he was getting sleepy. "I hope I'll be able to see them."

"What do you mean by that?" Colette asked sharply. "Of course you'll see them. You'll be their big brother and official babysitter." Jem just smiled wanly and closed his eyes properly this time.

Colette watched him doze and thought about what he had said. She never thought she would be in this situation – married to a man who was taking care of a chronically ill orphan nephew. Her entire family had warned her against it, saying that she would be joining Elias' family, instead of starting a new one with him, and he may not be able to give her the same time and commitment that an unattached man could. Most of all, her relatives took delight in warning her that she would have to also share the burden of taking care of a child that was not her own.

It was this last warning that frightened her most. She could deal with children – after all, she had many younger siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews. But a sick child was another matter altogether. She was not sure if she was competent enough to have a child's life placed in her hands.

Elias had been upfront about it, telling her about Jem right from the start. And when Colette met Jem, it was impossible not to like him. She found the boy to be exceptionally sweet and mature beyond his years. When he smiled, he threw his entire body and soul into the expression, so it would take someone with a heart of stone not to smile back at him. But, she also detected sadness and fragility underneath. He was so young, but he had not been a child for a long time. She wanted to help him as much as she could.

Now that she was practically his parent, Colette worried over him more. Even now, as they hurtled through the sky on the way to Shanghai and she listened to the soft sounds of his ragged breathing, the old insecurity came back – was she good enough? Would she always be able to take care of him? Would she be able to see him grow up? She hoped that she would.


	20. Chapter 20

20.

Shanghai's Pudong International Airport was a hive of activity. People of all nationalities swamped the futuristically designed terminal and pushed and shoved their way through the crowd to get to where they had to go. Every now and then, the airport public announcement system would boom out notices in Chinese and heavily accented English.

"This is mad!" Colette shouted to Elias as she followed after him, pushing Jem in his wheelchair. Behind her, Will struggled to keep up, pulling Jem's wheelie bag that contained his medicines and medical equipment.

"This is China," Elias griped. They managed to clear customs and were making their way to baggage claim. "Oi! Move it. What are you doing? This is not a place for hanging around," he demanded at people in their way. "Jem, how do you say 'get out of the way' in Chinese? And there's no need to be polite about it."

Jem grinned and said a short phrase in Chinese, which Elias proceeded to attempt to repeat. However, the way he said it sounded nothing like Jem's pronunciation, with the result that everyone ignored him.

Elias ordered Jem to put on a surgical mask and instructed Colette to stay with him somewhere where it was not so crowded. He went to join Will, who was waiting impatiently by the baggage carousel. They had to fight through hordes of Chinese travellers, who all seemed desperate to be the first to get their bag and took perverse delight in blocking others from getting theirs.

Will managed to dodge them all and grabbed their bags as Elias pointed them out. Three luggage bags in hand – Elias, Colette and Jem shared two between them – they headed out of the transit area, stopping to drop off the wheelchair, which had been borrowed from the airline.

The crowd was not much better outside. There was a barrier just outside the arrival gate and beyond that barrier was a solid wall of people. People were craning their necks to search for their friends and relatives; others were waving signs showing names of people they had come to pick up. The air reeked of stale cigarette smoke.

Elias and Jem conferred, trying to decipher the signs that were in Chinese. Elias seemed to be disagreeing with whatever Jem was saying. Will was about to join in the discussion when he heard a woman calling: "Jian! Jian!"

Jem turned at the sound of his name and a broad smile spread over his face. He called back in a series of Chinese words. Soon, a pleasant-looking Chinese woman came up and gave him a big hug, talking excitedly in Chinese all the while. She had short black hair, cut in a very fashionable style, and wore trendy clothes. Elias looked relieved to see her. When the woman had finished talking to Jem, she turned to Will and Colette inquiringly.

"Oh yes, introductions," Jem realised. "This is Auntie Lijuan," he said. "Auntie Lijuan, this is Aunt Colette – she and Uncle Elias got married just a week ago – and my best friend, Will."

Will gave a grin and tried to say _ni hao_. It was mangled but it came out, and Lijuan smiled indulgently at him and said something long in Chinese. Will was bewildered and looked to Jem for a translation. He obliged: "She says it's nice to meet you too, and any friend of mine – me," Jem gestured at himself, "is a friend of hers." To Lijuan, he added: "He doesn't speak Chinese."

"Don't worry, English is not a problem," Lijuan told him in perfect English, complete with a hint of an American accent. "Welcome to Shanghai, Will. Shall we?" She put out a hand to indicate that they should make a move.

Lijuan strode confidently through the crowd, seemingly able to pick paths between people with ease. She stopped before she reached the sliding exit doors though and rummaged through her handbag. "I almost forgot; Jian, you had better put this on," she said, handing him a piece of dark thick cloth.

Jem took it and unfolded it. It was a face mask with an air valve on the side. "I have a mask," he pointed out.

"This one's better. You'll need it. The air is quite bad outside today," Lijuan said ominously. Jem obediently took off his surgical mask and wrapped the cloth one round his face. Lijuan checked it and would not let them exit the building until she was satisfied.

Will instantly understood why she insisted that Jem wear the mask. Once through the airport's glass doors, the air was hazy and full of particles that made his throat itch and his eyes water. He pulled up the front of his shirt to cover his mouth and nose. He also tried to take as small breaths as possible. Jem glanced back at him and saw what he was doing. He quickly took out his discarded surgical mask and gave it to Will, who put it on gratefully. Though it was not as good as a cloth mask, it gave Will some respite.

Lijuan led them to her car – a shiny blue BMW. Jem, Will and Colette waited inside the car while she and Elias loaded their luggage into the boot. With everything in place, they drove off.

Shanghai rose up through the haze, with skyscrapers shimmering in the afternoon sun. Jem looked at it longingly. It had been more than six years since he last saw the city where he grew up.

"You hold on to that mask, Jian," Lijuan advised. "And don't go outdoors without it. This smog has been here for weeks now and the weathermen are saying it's going to last for quite a while more, and probably get worse."

"I know," Jem replied. "It was like this when I lived here too. Well, not as bad, but it would make my lungs hurt sometimes."

"It's become worse in the last few years," Lijuan lamented. "It's all those factories, and the villages in the countryside burning dirty coal and god knows what for the winter." Then she abruptly changed the subject. "Elias, I will drop you all off at your hotel now. You can all rest and I will come back later to bring you to my house for dinner."

"You don't have to. I don't want to inconvenience you. I'm sure we can settle our own dinner," Elias protested.

"Nonsense," Lijuan dismissed. "I have already prepared it. Wen Yu would never forgive me if I passed up an opportunity to feed up her son." Jem perked up when he heard his mother's name. She noticed and scolded him: "You're too skinny, Jian. Don't you eat in London? I must teach your uncle how to cook for you properly." Jem gave Elias a sly look and smirked. Elias rolled his eyes.

"I'd love to learn how to feed Jem," Colette offered. "It's hard to get him to eat. He doesn't seem to like anything."

As Lijuan and Colette enthusiastically swopped recipes, Will nudged Jem: "Why does she call you that? Jian?"

"It's my Chinese name," Jem whispered back. "Ke Jian Ming. Mama used to call me Jian all the time. Jem came about mainly because most of the Chinese people I met couldn't pronounce James properly. And, well, Jian Ming… if you say it fast enough, it sounds a little like Jem."

"That's so confusing."

"Oh really, _Gwilym Owain_?" Jem teased, using the Welsh version of his friend's name. Will rolled his eyes at him.

Their hotel was a nice high-rise building painted in beige and blue. Lijuan helped them to check in and followed them up to their rooms. She said she wanted to check and make sure everything was in order, so she could let room service know straightaway if there were any problems.

They had two adjoining rooms on the 21st floor. Will and Jem took the room with twin beds, while the adults took the other with a double bed. Will dumped his bag on the floor and wandered over to the window to stare at the view of the city. It was hazy but he could still make out the various buildings. He could even spot the river, glimmering in the sunlight through the buildings.

"All right, Will?" Jem asked. His arms were full of his things that had been in his uncle's luggage. He put them away neatly in a cupboard before going back to the other room for more things. Will heard some thumps of things falling to the floor, and Elias' voice scolding him and telling him to be careful.

"Need any help?" Will called.

"They're good," Colette replied, leaning against the frame of the connecting door. "Jem's air tubes got tangled up in things. Everything fell out when he tried to lift them." Jem edged by her with a sheepish smile on his face, wearing his vibrating vest, with the tubes wound loosely around his neck. "I'll get the generator. You have airway clearance to do, young man," Colette ordered.

"Aren't you gonna do the chest therapy thing?" Will asked, miming the usual percussion therapy Jem did.

"We're all tired," Elias answered, coming over with the portable generator. "The vibrating vest and nebuliser are good enough for now. Just do it, take a shower then take a nap. We can do proper physical therapy later."

"Sounds good," Jem said. He took the generator from his uncle and plugged it into a socket by the wall. Will watched as he expertly fit the tubes in and filled his nebuliser with medicine and began the session. With the mist coming out of the nebuliser and his legs crossed, it looked as though he was smoking a hookah. Every now and then, he stopped the vibrations to breathe deeply and cough out the mucus. There was a lot of it. He filled up a whole plastic bag before the session was over.

"Will, quit staring at me," Jem said after a while, seemingly unnerved by his friend's constant curious gaze.

"Sorry," Will apologised. "I'm so tired I don't know what to do with myself." He turned on the television and flipped through the channels. Everything seemed to be in Chinese. He got channel 12 before he finally found something in English – BBC World News. He grimaced at the boring content.

"Why don't you go take a shower?" Jem suggested. "Then we won't both have to fight for it later. And you can take a nap when you're done. You look dead on your feet."

"You don't look that much better yourself," Will retorted, continuing to flip through channels.

"I'm ill. What's your excuse?"

Will picked up the sock monkey Jem had left on the bed and threw it at his friend in response. Jem ducked and the little toy bounced off the wall and onto the floor. Jem picked it up and made it sit on his generator.

Will grinned and got up to open his bag and take out the things he needed for a shower. The countertop in the toilet was still clear, so Will laid out his things. He did not have much, just his soap, shampoo and toothbrush. He also set out a little mug shaped like an owl. Cecily had insisted that he bring it along just in case they didn't have cups in China. Will took great pleasure in taking photos of the glasses the hotel provided to send to her to prove her wrong.

Will took his time in the shower. The hot water tasted different but it felt heavenly after nearly a day cramped up in a plane. He let the water run until clouds of steam filled the toilet before deciding he had better leave some hot water for Jem. He dried off, changed into trackpants and a tshirt and went back into the room.

It was quiet now and Will assumed Jem had finished with his vibrating vest. He was about to announce loudly that the shower was now free when he noticed Jem curled up on the bed, on top of the covers, fast asleep. He had not even changed his clothes. Will got a dry towel and put it over Jem, so he would not get cold, then got into his own bed and laid down to sleep too.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks to Teeloganroryflan, HetaStar and everyone else who is reading my little story. :) It really makes me happy to know that people enjoy the story I created.**

 **New chapter today. Warning: Feels up ahead!**

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21.

Will dreamt he was at a drum festival and surrounded by hundreds of drummers beating away rhythmically at their instruments. The regular pounding made the earth vibrate and felt like a heart beat pulsing beneath the ground. He pumped his fist in the air in exhilaration and ran over and tried to grab someone's drumsticks and drum and began happily banging along.

Then he felt the rhythm go wrong. Like someone missed a step. He was about to look around to investigate when he woke up. Jem was coughing hard in the bed next to him. Will rolled onto his side to check on his friend and saw him sitting up, coughing into a plastic bag. His uncle was standing next to him, a hand on his back and waiting for the attack to be over.

Jem laid back down and his uncle resumed the percussion therapy on his chest. That explained the drumming in Will's dream. He looked at his watch and saw that two hours had passed since he fell asleep.

Elias noticed that Will was awake and said loudly: "Good afternoon, Will. You can nap for a while more if you like. We've got an hour before we have to go for dinner." Jem also turned his head, grinned at Will and gave him a thumbs up.

Will turned on the TV and lay in bed to watch. It looked like a Chinese soap opera – good-looking people talking to other good-looking people and going about their lives, with the requisite evil-looking person smirking and all but rubbing his hands together as he plotted.

Jem went to take a shower after he finished his therapy. When he came out, he sat cross-legged on the bed to towel his hair dry. "What's going on?" he asked conversationally as he looked at the TV.

"Well," Will explained, pointing out the characters as they appeared. "That one seems to be having an affair with the other one. The woman seems to think it's wrong but she's helpless to resist. They were sneaking around when the little boy –I think he's the man's son or nephew or something – walked in on them and ran off to tell the evil one, who is glad to have leverage and is now confronting them."

"You understood all that?"

"No, but it's pretty self-explanatory. Oh look, the wise sage Grandpa is coming to defuse the situation. But will they listen?" Will continued to provide a commentary until the show ended. Then he clicked off the TV and turned to Jem. "You look excited," he observed.

"I am," Jem agreed. "Being back here… I can't describe it. It's like…"

"Like coming back home?" Will supplied. Jem nodded. "I know how you feel. I feel like that when we go back to Wales too. Except maybe less 'kid in the candy shop' like how you're behaving now."

"Am I behaving like that?" Jem asked curiously.

Will nodded solemnly. "I think if you weren't feeling as worn out as you look, you'd be jumping around the room. Calm down. Don't get hyper or I'll tell Auntie Lijuan not to give you any dessert. We don't want the sugar to keep you up all night."

Jem laughed. "I'm so glad you're here, Will." Will saluted to acknowledge the remark.

Colette popped her head through the connecting door. "Are you boys ready? We're going to meet Auntie Lijuan down in the lobby." The boys hopped off their beds and followed Colette and Elias.

Lijuan was already waiting and she drove them to her house, which was a nice apartment in a stylish part of the city. A delicious smell of food greeted them as they entered the house. A housekeeper was putting the food out and a younger girl was helping.

"This is my daughter, Hanyun," Lijuan introduced. "Jian, do you rememer her? You two used to play together when your mother brought you over here."

Hanyun came over and stared at Jem. "I remember you, Jian Ming," she declared. "You gave me a teddy bear. I've still got it somewhere."

"Hi, Hanyun!" Jem replied enthusiastically. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Who's this?" she asked, gaping at Will.

"My best friend, Will," Jem introduced.

"He's cute," she said in Chinese.

"He's single," Jem replied, also in Chinese.

Hanyun's eyes gleamed. "Hook me up?" she prompted.

"I'll see what I can do," Jem promised.

"You guys know it's rude to do that? Talk in Chinese like that," Will interjected. "I know you're talking about me."

"My apologies, Will. We were just talking about old times," Jem said. "Hanyun, do you still collect pins? Why don't you bring Will to see them? I'm sure he'll be interested." He winked at Will as he said it, and gave his friend a small push in the girl's direction.

But before they could go anywhere, Lijuan ordered them all to the table. Her husband, Mr Lee, joined them, and Hanyun reverted to her best behaviour whwen her father was around.

The table was filled with all sorts of delicious-looking dishes, all Jem's favourites, from the way Lijuan was describing. There was a herbal chicken soup, stewed mushrooms with spinach, steamed fish, roasted pork, shrimp omelette, spicy tofu, broccoli with garlic, as well as bowls of steaming white rice.

"This is such a feast, Auntie Lijuan," Jem gushed. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she replied. "Eat more." Throughout the dinner, she kept putting food into Jem's bowl, ensuring he had the choicest pieces of everything, and ignorning his protests that he could not possibly eat it all.

To everyone's surprise, he actually did manage to finish everything he was given, and even had room for the sweet bean soup that was served for dessert. He sat back after the meal with a very satisfied smile. "That reminds me of the food Mama used to cook," he said.

"Some recipes are her's," Lijuan admitted. "The soup and the vegetables, for instance."

"I thought I would never taste her cooking ever again."

"I'll teach your aunt, then she can make them for you," Lijuan promised. Colette nodded enthusiastically. "The court trial is not until the day after. What are your plans for tomorrow?" she suddenly asked.

Jem looked at Elias. "I thought we could look around the city," Elias said. "Colette and Will have never been here before."

"There are very good shopping places," Lijuan suggested. "Or if you want touristy things, there's the Bund, museums around People's Square, Yuyuan or Zhujiajiao. What do you want to do, Jian?"

Jem hesitated. "Actually, I was hoping to go pay my respects to Mama and Papa," he mumbled. Again, he looked at Elias, as though for guidance or approval.

"Of course," his uncle agreed. "We should do that." For Will and Colette's benefit, he explained: "Jonah and Wen Yu were cremated. Jem didn't get the chance to attend the funeral. He was in hospital then, recovering from what the gangsters did to him."

"With any luck, we'll make him pay this time," Lijuan said fiercely. "I'll take you to the temple tomorrow," she offered. "I've taken care of their niches for you. But it's right that you should go and see them. You're a good boy, Jian."

Jem remained in a brooding state of fearful excitement for the rest of the evening, until they returned to the hotel and went to bed. Will tried to get his mind off things by getting him to point out landmarks from the window or translating the TV shows, but the distractions worked only for a short while.

The next morning, Jem was already up and dressed in a white tshirt and black jeans by the time Will woke. He was pacing anxiously up and down by the window, occasionally stopping to stare out in the distance. His little sock monkey was in his hands and he kept fidgeting with it.

"Jem, relax," Will urged. Jem stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of Will's bed. He still worried the sock monkey, twisting it and squeezing it in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"I'm nervous," Jem admitted.

"It's going to be fine," Will assured him.

Will had to keep telling his friend that throughout the journey to the temple. Jem looked paler and more anxious with each passing minute. When they finally arrived, he was white as a sheet. He stared up at the building and froze. Will had to grab him to ensure he followed them in.

Lijuan took them down to the underground columbarium. It was cold from the air-conditioning and the winter wind. The columbarium niches were all white marble, which added to the chill. The scent of smoke and incense lingered in the air. Lijuan led them through the maze of niches until she came to Jem's parents'.

It was a slightly larger niche than the others and made to hold two names rather than just one. Will recognised the smiling, happy faces of Jem's parents. Their names, together with their dates of birth and death were carved in black on the white marble. Underneath, there were a few words in Chinese. Will assumed it was an epitaph. There was a ledge in front of the niche, which contained the remains of melted candles, joss sticks and withered flowers. Lijuan broke off the candle stubs and swept the flowers into a plastic bag, replacing them with new ones. She lit a few joss sticks too and placed them with the flowers.

Jem stood right at the back of the group. He looked terrified and distressed. Lijuan ushered him forward, saying something conversationally in Chinese and gesturing towards the niche. Will made out the names Jonah and Wen Yu, but did not understand anything else. Jem stared at the floor. Lijuan said something to him in a scolding tone.

"Let's give him some time alone," Elias said delicately. He pulled Colette away and gave Will a look that clearly showed he expected him to follow. Lijuan nodded and went with them. They went farther down the corridor, far enough that Jem had some privacy, but close enough to keep him in sight.

Jem kept his gaze downwards for some time, standing some distance away from the niche. He shuffled a bit closer and lifted his head. He stared at the niche, then his shaking hand rose to touch it. "Papa, Mama," he whispered. "I'm here… I…" His voice cracked as he spoke. He leaned in, his forehead against the cool marble. His shoulders began to shake as his fingers gripped at their photos.

Will could not stand to see his friend so upset. He went over, ignoring Elias' whispers to let Jem be. He put a reassuring hand on Jem shoulder. Eventually, Jem turned round. His face was white, but there were no tears. He looked so lost. Will put his arms around him and held him in a big hug until he stopped shaking.


	22. Chapter 22

22.

When Jem calmed down, Lijuan took him up to the main temple hall and guided him through some prayers. Will noticed that he parroted whatever she told him to say but there was something empty in his eyes. It made Will worry.

They all returned to the car and Lijuan asked where they would like to go. There was a long pause before Colette suggested that Lijuan drop them off somewhere where they could explore the city.

"I'll bring you to Nanjing Road," Lijuan decided. "You can do some shopping there, and it'll be easy to get a bus or the train to sightsee. What do you think, Jian?"

"I'd like to go back to the hotel, if that's okay," Jem said softly. Everyone turned to stare at him. He looked down at his shoes. "You guys can go walk around. I think jetlag is catching up with me."

"I'll stay with you," Elias said. "I've seen Shanghai before. Colette and Will can go sightsee."

"There's no need," Jem pressed. "I'll probably just be sleeping. You don't have to hang around."

"I don't like the idea of you being alone. Not after…" Elias trailed off, unsure as to how to bring up the events of the last hour. "Anyway, you're in a foreign country. It's not safe."

"Uncle, I grew up here. I know how it works; it's perfectly safe," Jem insisted.

"Maybe we could…"

"Uncle!" Jem shouted. "I just want to be alone, all right?" He stopped short, as though startled by his own sudden outburst. He looked warily at his uncle.

Colette tried to mediate. "Why don't we all go back to the hotel and rest for a while before we decide what to do?" she suggested.

"Fine," Jem agreed mechanically. Everyone else agreed and they returned to the hotel. They went up to their rooms, where Elias exploded.

"James, what were you thinking? Did you really think I would let you stay here by yourself? What if something happened? What if someone broke in? Do you think all this is a game?" he ranted. "I can't understand you anymore. Why are you doing all these things?" He probably would have gone on if Colette hadn't stopped him.

Jem just stood there, worrying the hem of his tshirt and looking down at the floor. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. Will dragged him into their room. He gently pushed Jem onto his own bed. "Sleep it off, bro," he ordered.

"I didn't mean to yell at Uncle in the car," Jem admitted contritely.

"I know. You can apologise later," Will said. "You're both on edge. Now, take off your shoes and lay down." Jem obediently did as he was told. He lay on his side, pulled his legs up against his body, and buried his face in his pillow. Will picked up his sock monkey and tucked it in beside him. "Go on, close your eyes. Don't make me sing you a lullaby," he warned. He was rewarded with a small grin from Jem.

Jem's breathing levelled out after a few minutes and his body relaxed into sleep. Will sat by the window with a book. Colette popped over after a while. "Jem asleep?" she whispered.

"Seems to be," Will affirmed, glancing over at his friend.

Colette went over to Jem to check on him. She gave him a kiss on the head then went to Will. "Elias and I have decided to go out. Would you like to join us?"

Will shook his head. "I'll stay with Jem. I don't want him waking up and wondering where we all went."

Colette ruffled Will's hair. "Thank you for taking such good care of him," she said. "I don't know if we'll be back in time for lunch, so you can order room service. We'll pay when we get back. We'll definitely buy dinner."

"You're paying for room service?" Will clarified with a cheeky gleam in his eyes.

"Within reason," Colette amended. "So no champagne, lobsters or cavier."

"Spoil sport!"

"Behave yourself now. And keep an eye on Jem. Call us immediately if anything happens," Colette admonished.

"We're not three years old, Colette, we can take care of ourselves. You two just go have fun," Will ordered. She smiled and left the room. A few minutes later, Will heard their front door close. He continued to read his book quietly, losing himself in the exciting story.

He was not sure how much time had passed when he suddenly heard Jem moan. He leaped to his feet, wondering if his friend had somehow hurt himself. He saw him thrashing around on the bed and letting out increasingly loud cries. Will knew Jem had nightmares but he had never seen it. He placed a hand on Jem's shoulder and shook him gently. He remained asleep but began to mutter something fearfully in Chinese.

"Jem!" Will raised his voice and shook him harder. "Jem, wake up. You're dreaming."

Jem's eyes suddenly flew open and he sat up so quickly that his head hit Will's hard.

"Ow!" Will exclaimed, rubbing his head woefully.

Jem was breathing heavily and looking around anxiously. "Just a dream," he said softly. "A dream."

"A nightmare, more like," Will corrected. "What was it about?"

Jem took a long time to answer and Will almost thought he was not going to. But, at length, he admitted: "The night my parents died."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Jem answered immediately. He sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have gone to the temple today. At least, before this, I could still pretend everything was okay, that they were still alive somewhere. But now… They're dead, Will. They're gone and I'm never going to see them again." His voice was desperate and bleak. He raised his hands to cover his face. "I don't know what to do, Will. I… I feel lost and confused. It hurts inside." He pressed a hand to his chest.

"I know," Will said comfortingly. "You can cry, you know? It'll make you feel better. Just let it all out."

Jem began squinting and blinking. "I can't," he choked. "The tears won't come."

Will could imagine how he was feeling. He went through the same thing when his sister Ella died. But in his case, it was quick and the funeral helped. Jem never had closure after his parents' death. He did not attend the funeral nor had the chance to say goodbye. Instead, he had been, first, in hospital, then whisked off immediately to a new life in London. Will could only imagine what he had been suppressing in the last six years of his life.

There was only one thing Will could think of to cheer Jem up – chocolate cake! He reached for the room service menu and ordered the most delicious-sounding one they had. Jem watched his actions curiously. Will had not explained anything to him and, if anything, trying to figure out what Will was up to was a good distraction.

The room service staff arrived within minutes with the cake on a covered plate and some smaller serving dishes and utensils. Will took the cake, mangled a "thank you" in Chinese to the staff and put the cake on Jem's bed. It was a gorgeous chocolate fudge cake a dusting of icing sugar on top. He handed Jem a fork. "Dig in," he instructed.

Jem was surprised. "Aren't we going to cut it?" he asked.

"No," Will said. "Too much bother. Just start wherever you want. Feel free to use your hands too." To demonstrate, he stuck his fork in and hacked off a large chunk and stuffed it all into his mouth. "It's delicious, Jem! Try it!"

Jem hesitated for just a moment before he joined in. He ate small bites and very slowly at first but he gained speed as he got used to it. Will was right. It was delicious and it did make him feel better.

"Papa used to like chocolate cake too," he suddenly said. "Mama would buy him one for his birthday and special occasions. She didn't like it much, though. She always said they were too sweet. So it would usually be Papa and me sharing a cake."

"How long did you guys take to finish a cake?" Will asked.

"Not long. We never had a really big cake," Jem reminisced. "A few hours, maybe. We'd watch TV and eat. Papa would always try to convince Mama to have some too. Like once, I think he bet that she couldn't fold the laundry faster than he could, and she'd have to eat some cake if she lost."

"Did she lose?"

"Not often. She was very competitive too. Even if she lost, she'd insist on a rematch. Or she'd just share the slice with me." Jem smiled wistfully. "She'd let me sit in her lap and cut the slice up and feed some to me. Now that I think about it, I don't believe she ate more than a few bites. She's always give me huge chunks. I was just a child; all I cared about was eating yummy chocolate cake."

"Your parents sound like so much fun," Will observed. "What were they like? Were they strict with you?"

Jem nodded. "Of course. Mama especially," he reminisced. "You may not believe this, but I didn't like to do homework when I was in primary school. I wanted to play with my toys or listen to Papa practising the violin. Mama would catch me, sit me down next to her and watch as I did my homework. She had a wooden ruler that she threatened to cane me with if I attempted any funny business. She never used it but I was always trying to get rid of that ruler. I used to believe that if only I could get rid of that ruler, I would be free to do whatever I wanted." He laughed at the memory. "It's funny; it wasn't even the ruler that was keeping me there. It was Mama. Even if I did succeed in hiding the ruler, Mama would still have made me sit and stay until my homework was done.

"Papa was more relaxed when it came to homework. He would let me take long breaks in between assignments. But he was very strict about practising the violin. I had to do an hour every day. Fifteen minutes of scales, half an hour on the songs, and 15 minutes on music theory. He taught me himself. Every day, no matter how busy or tired he was, that one hour was always reserved for me. Just Papa and me. I suppose that was his way of making sure he spent at least a little time with me every day.

"I miss them, Will," he admitted. "It feels like there's a hole in my heart where they should be. Do you think I'll ever see them again?"

"You will," Will confirmed. "In the next life. Like the minister always says, when this life is done, we'll all go to our eternal home, and there we'll see everyone who has gone ahead of us. He says we just have to have faith. I'm sure your parents are watching over you in spirit. Maybe they've met Ella and become friends, just like you and me. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

Jem smiled at the thought. "That certainly would be nice."


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi again! Thanks to all who have been reading and leaving nice happy friendly comments. They really make my day.**

 **So, new chapter. I must put a warning here. _This is a dark chapter - one of the darkest in my story. I don't want to give away anything but I think there are disturbing sequences in it, so proceed with caution._**

 **As always, let me know what you think at the end. :)**

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23.

Elias and Colette returned later that evening with packets of dim sum that smelled delicious. Elias seemed to have recovered a lot of his good mood, and after Jem pulled him into the room for a one-to-one chat, presumably to apologise for his earlier fit of temper, he was practically cheerful. Everyone enjoyed a good dinner and went to bed early.

The next morning, Lijuan arrived just after breakfast to pick them up to go to the court. The courthouse was a colonial building located on the other side of the river from the financial hub. There was a small crowd outside, which Lijuan said were from the media, and to ignore them. A man was talking to the journalists – Lijuan pointed him out as the defence lawyer Yang Li Wei. There was contempt in her voice. She later said that he was deeply corrupted, ruthless and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Lijuan did not allow Jem to remove his face mask until they were safely inside the courthouse and away from the media glare. "It's a crazy media circus," she fumed. "And the other side is taking advantage and making themselves look like the victim. As if we didn't have anything better to do."

"Can they do that?" Elias asked. "Tell lies to the media?"

"They're not exactly lying," Lijuan reluctantly conceded. "The media aren't allowed in the courtroom, so Yang goes out and tells them selected details. Like if I raised my voice just a little bit when questioning the witness, he'll say I lost my temper and yelled like a madwoman. His favourite move is to undermine the witnesses, so he'll probably do that to you, Jian. Keep cool and don't let him get to you."

Jem looked like he was about to throw up. Lijuan had already prepared him for his testimonial and warned him about the tactics of the defence team, but actually being here and seeing his adversary in person was a different matter.

"Nervous?" Will asked, jostling him with his elbow.

"Terrified," Jem admitted. "But I'll be okay."

Will went with Elias and Colette to the main courtroom and took their places in the viewing area. Lijuan and Jem went to the prosecutor's table and sat there to wait. There was a huge hustle and bustle when the defence team came in. Will saw the gangster Luo Chunguang following his lawyer in. He was surprised at how ordinary the man looked. He had expected tattoos and, perhaps, a long evil-looking beard. But this man was wearing a sharp business suit and was neatly groomed like a corporate executive.

The pair stopped by the prosecutor's table and said a few words to Lijuan. Jem looked down resolutely until Yang addressed him directly. Then he reluctantly stood up and said something, though Will could not hear what it was. He refused to shake hands with the men.

Judge Chen Dejin entered and called the court to order. He gave a brief summary of the proceedings for the day and indicated that the prosecutors could begin.

Lijuan got up and made a speech in Chinese. Will was disappointed that he could not understand it, for it looked like a very good speech. She was expressive and punctuating her points with strong gestures. Then she motioned to Jem to come forward.

Jem stood. Among the crowd of people in the court, he looked so slight. A court guard led him to the witness box. Another man, the court interpreter, joined him there. Lijuan had decided on the first night that Jem should not give his testimony in Chinese, as his command of the language was not strong enough. She also hoped that having to rely on a translator would be a stumbling block to the defence side, who would then be forced to simplify their questions.

With the process of asking Jem if he would tell the truth completed, Lijuan began her questioning. It was simple things, and they had already rehearsed the questions earlier, but Will was amused that every question and answer had to be translated and then retranslated back.

"Please tell me your full name and how old you are," Lijuan began.

"James Carstairs. Ke Jian Ming. I am 16 years old," Jem calmly said.

"Who were your parents, James?"

"My father was Jonah Carstairs. He was a music teacher. My mother was Ke Wen Yu. She was a lawyer."

"Where are they now?"

Jem paused then said softly: "They're dead."

Watching Jem, Will wondered his hesitation was true emotion or extremely good acting. Lijuan did tell him to try and be more emotional – it would make him a more sympathetic figure and, therefore, more appealing.

"Can you tell us what happened the night they died?"

Jem nodded. "It was six years ago. I had gone to bed just like any other night. I was woken by the sound of someone shouting and pounding on our front door. My mother ran into my room and pulled me under the bed with her. She was frightened and told me not to make a sound. There was a loud crash as the front door was knocked down. I head my father shouting and arguing with the men.

"Then my bedroom door was kicked open. Two men came in. They were dressed in black and had tattoos on their arms and faces. My mother and I were dragged into the living room and tied to chairs. There were six men altogether. They shouted at us and they… they beat us. They started with my parents, then they turned to me. They cut me with their knives and threatened to cut off my fingers and ears. They splashed icy water over me to make it sting more when they hit me. They forced a funnel into my mouth and poured water down it to make me choke.

"My father tried to break his bonds to fight the men. But he could not. They picked him up, as he was tied to the chair, and flung him against the wall. He hit the wall head-first and there was a very loud crack. He lay on the floor and his neck was…" Jem stopped as he ran out of breath. He began coughing and the interpreter offered him a glass of water. He had portrayed a very calm demeanour thus far, but his hand shook when he took the glass.

"James, I know this is difficult, but you must tell the court what happened," Lijuan prompted again. "What happened to your father?"

Jem took a deep breath and nodded: "My father's body lay on the ground. His neck was at a very strange angle. My mother was screaming. She pleaded for the men to let us go, or at least to let me go. But they didn't. They continued to torture me. Eventually, one of them used a knife to cut my mother's throat open. It was close to morning by then, and the men said that it was time for them to go. One of them turned to me and asked what was to be done with me. Another man took his knife and stabbed me in the chest. I fainted from the pain and when I woke up, I was in hospital and being told I was an orphan."

There was silence in the courtroom after Jem finished speaking. Will was impressed. Jem had kept his composure throughout the whole horrific story and spoke calmly and clearly. He knew that if the tables were turned, he would not be able to handle it so well.

Lijuan waited a moment before asking: "Did the men say anything when they broke into your home? What did they want?"

"They wanted my mother to drop a case that she was working on," Jem answered.

"And what case was that?"

"She was working on an expose of the triad boss Luo Chunguang."

"Did you know who the men who attacked you were?"

"I don't know their names. But I know they were members of the Shanghai Jade Dragons Gang."

"How do you know this?"

"The men all had the same tattoo on their left arms – a black dragon against a green circle. They also referred to the case and said their boss wanted them to settle it once and for all. And, it seems like they did."

"Thank you, James. You have been very brave to tell us all this," Lijuan concluded. "No more questions, your honour."

The judge thanked her and asked the defence if they would like to question the witness. Yang leaped to his feet eagerly. Instead of standing in one spot, like Lijuan did, he paced and stalked around like a panther.

"All this happened six years ago, you say, James?" Yang clarified. "How old were you then?"

"I was 10," Jem said.

"Ten years old. A mere child, then." Yang gave the judge a significant look. Jem eyed him warily. "You were asleep? Your mother came into your room and pulled you under the bed? Where was your father?"

"My father was in the living room. At the front door. The men were pounding on it then."

"What was he doing at the front door? Why didn't he come and hide with you?"

"I suppose he was trying to protect us."

"Clearly, it did not work," Yang observed. "Now, you say the men all had a tattoo. I want to show you some pictures of tattoos, and I hope you can tell me which one it was that the men sported."

A projector screen was set up and Yang showed a series of five images. All were stylised tattoos of dragons. Some were extremely colourful and elaborate, while others were plain. Jem was given a hard copy of these to study. He selected one – the dragon was elaborate and fierce-looking. Yang took it and tutted.

"Unfortunately, James, this is not the symbol of any gang. It is just a picture from a tattoo artist's catalogue. Certainly, the only thing we can prove from this is that the men who attacked you all visited the same tattoo shop." He put away the copies of the dragon tattoos and turned back to Jem. "I would like to test your memory a little, if I may. You see, a child of 10, woken up in the middle of the night… I think it would all benefit us to know exactly how much you can remember, especially six years on."

He proceeded to show a series of images and tattoo symbols. Each time he showed an image, he asked Jem if any of the men possessed these characteristics. Jem answered but he sounded more unsure with each question.

Yang seemed disappointed at the end. "Of course, none of us blame you, James. You were young. You were half asleep. You also have an illness, do you not? You were on medication, and one of them had the side effect of drowsiness. You were not fully conscious during the alleged attack. Perhaps your mind remembers something that did not actually happen."

Jem looked affronted. "I am not making anything up," he declared.

"You say the men said their boss wanted them to settle the case. Did they specifically say Luo Chunguang said it?"

"No. But they said that my parents were fools to cross Luo Chunguang."

"But they did not actually say Luo Chunguang wanted them dead?"

Jem considered this for a very long time before he reluctantly said: "No."

"Your parents had been arguing in the days before this incident," Yang went on. "There are witnesses that heard your father repeatedly asking your mother to drop the case. Is this true?"

"Yes. My father thought it was unwise to continue."

"How often did your parents argue over the case?"

"I don't know. Not often at first, but more often as time went by."

"Did they ever get into a physical fight?"

Jem looked at him in horror. "They…" he hesitated.

"You promised to tell the truth, James," Yang pressed. "Did they ever fight? Rough behaviours, hitting things, slamming doors?"

An expression of pain crossed Jem's face. "Yes," he finally admitted. "It was nothing bad, though. They apologised to each other afterwards."

"I see, but they did fight sometimes," Yang repeated. "It grieves me very much to suggest this, James, but perhaps we should all consider the possibility that what you saw that night was nothing more than another fight between your parents."

"No…" Jem breathed.

"They had another argument about the case. Your father got angry and started hitting the doors and furniture. Your mother became afraid and ran into your room to hide from him. But he chased her and pulled the two of you out. In your half-awake state, you thought it was a stranger, because you didn't recognise a father who was infuriated and violent. Your parents fought. Your father hit your mother. You got in the way, which was why you became injured. Your mother then fought back against your father. He fell wrongly, breaking his neck. Your mother, filled with guilt, then cut her own throat open."

"No!" Jem exclaimed. "That wasn't what happened!"

"A 10-year-old child cannot be expected to understand what was happening," Yang continued relentlessly. He did not bother to wait for the translator; it was clear that he knew Jem understood every word. "You saw your mother killing your father and her subsequent suicide, and to rationalise the horror of it, you conjured up images of gangsters and torture and beatings. Because it's easier to think of an unknown bad guy rather than the parents you adored being monsters."

Jem was extremely agitated now. His hands were gripping the edge of the witness box and his knuckles were turning white. "You're lying," he cried. "That's not true. My father would never have hurt me or my mother."

"But he did, didn't he? He beat your mother because she would not stop pursuing this case, even against his wishes. Because that is what happened, didn't it, James? My client may have been the subject of their argument, but he was not responsible for their deaths. Your mother killed your father and then killed herself."

"No…" Jem began to say before he doubled over with coughing. He coughed so hard that blood spurted out, coating the witness stand with red.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi guys! So sorry for the delay. Thanks, Emma, for reminding me. Real life has been so hectic this week, I actually forgot I hadn't put this chapter up. Sorry. :P Anyway, here it is now. Hope you enjoy it. Leave a comment at the end. Drama... all the drama...**

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24.

"Jem! Jem!" Elias ran forward to the front of the courtroom and leaped over the wooden barrier of the spectator gallery, not bothering to look for a way to unlatch the gate. The judge had granted a recess when he saw that Jem's illness was serious. The boy had not stopped coughing yet and he appeared to be struggling to breathe. The whole courtroom had erupted into excited chatter at the sudden dramatic turn of events.

"We can take him outside. It'll be quieter and more comfortable for him," Lijuan suggested.

Elias agreed and grabbed hold of Jem's arm to help his nephew out of the witness stand. Will followed and laid a protective hand on Jem's back. They entered a side chamber where some of the court officials had gathered to spend the recess.

"Is he all right?" Yang asked when Jem and Elias passed him. Elias shot daggers at him with his eyes and did not deign to reply. Will gave him the finger. They exited the chamber and emerged in the corridor outside. It was much quieter here and there were fewer people walking about.

Jem slumped onto the floor. His body was shaking and tears were streaming down his cheeks. "Is it true?" he gasped. "Mama and Papa… did they fight? Did they kill each other?"

Elias squatted in front of him and hugged him. "No, it's not true," he assured him. "Your parents loved each other. Your father may have taken out his temper on the furniture, but he never laid a finger on your mother in anger. Wen Yu would never have taken her own life. She would never have wanted to leave you. Neither of them would have."

Jem's face was twisted in pain. "But he said it in open court. There must have been some truth to it. What if I really remembered it all wrongly?"

"Don't say that, Jian!" Lijuan admonished. "You may have been young but there's nothing wrong with your mind. He was just trying to tarnish you and make it look like you couldn't be trusted as a witness."

"I can't go back in there. I know I should, but I can't," Jem sobbed. His arms were wrapped around himself and he was bent over as though he was trying to fold his body into himself.

"I'll get the judge to call it a day," Lijuan said. "You're in no state to be questioned further. The judge will end the session early on medical grounds."

It was decided that they would return to the hotel while Lijuan wrapped things up in court. Jem was quiet the whole time. Will stayed by his side and fiercely glared at anyone who looked their way. He was outraged that anyone would dare to even think that Jem was lying. He knew the pain his friend went through over his parents' death. It took great courage to tell it in court, knowing that he would be questioned and challenged.

Back at the hotel, Elias made Jem take a nap. Will accompanied him in the room, but he saw that although his friend was laying on the bed, he was not asleep.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Will asked. Jem shook his head. Will frowned. "Well, if you want to, I'll be right here." The corners of Jem's lips turned upwards slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

Lijuan came in a few hours later. She stayed in Elias and Colette's room to talk but the boys could hear every word. "The media is going crazy outside the court. It's lucky you got Jian away in time. Yang told them everything and said Jian was being delusional and hysterical. That was after he had his child psychologist take the stand and back up everything he said about Jem having imagined the whole situation."

"Didn't he already get his pound of flesh in the courtroom? Why is he doing this?" Elias demanded angrily.

"He needs to discredit all my witnesses," Lijuan explained. "He's done it before. I thought he would be a bit easier on Jian, as he is just a child. But this is worse. The way he talks about him… He's pretending that he pities him. He's making himself look like someone who was forced to tell hard truths to a child and he regrets it, but someone had to do it. Of course, it's all an act. He meant to do it all and he regrets nothing."

"I wanted to slap him," Colette said viciously. "I couldn't understand what he said in court, but his tone was so condescending. It made me so angry."

"What happens now? How is this going to affect the case?" Elias asked.

"It doesn't look good," Lijuan admitted. "The judge will deliver the verdict in two days. Looking at it objectively, I don't think he'll convict Luo. Too many of my witnesses and my evidence have been taken apart. There isn't enough for a conviction."

"Not even in an appeal? A review of the evidence?" Elias questioned.

Lijuan shook her head. "It doesn't work like that here. Not unless any new evidence comes to light. And it will have to be extremely good evidence, at this point."

"Jem will be devastated," Colette remarked. "He wanted so badly to get justice for his parents. To have it turned against him and the murderer walk free would kill him."

Will decided that they had heard enough. He got up from bed and shut the connecting door between the two rooms, shutting out the conversation too. He looked over and saw Jem staring at him woefully. "You didn't need to hear all that," Will said defiantly.

"Yes, I did," Jem said flatly. "It's hopeless, Will. You heard it. Everything has been for nothing. I should never have come back to Shanghai."

"Don't say that," Will admonished. "You tried your best. It's not your fault that lawyer was such a wanker."

"What if there really is something wrong with me, Will?" Jem asked.

Will leaped onto Jem's bed and shook his friend by the shoulders. "Don't you ever say that!" he said fiercely. "There is nothing wrong with you. There are some things you can't ever make up and this is one of them. What you remember is the truth and if some arsehole of a lawyer tries to tell you otherwise then he's a bloody liar. Of course, he'll lie. You were about to break down his entire case. He was desperate, grasping at any low-down tactic to make you look bad. It was _not your fault_. Do you hear me, Jem?"

"Do you really think that?"

"James Carstairs! Repeat after me: 'It is not my fault'. Say it!"

Jem looked a little intimidated. "It's not my fault," he said softly. It sounded like he was testing how the words felt on his lips.

"Say it like you mean it!"

"But…"

"Jem!"

"Will, I can't! I need to think about this. Please," Jem pleaded. His face was contorted in pain. "It's all happening so fast." He began to cough. He reached out a hand and grabbed Will. "It hurts."

"I know. It's been a hard day," Will sympathised. "Maybe you should get some sleep. You'll feel better. Or a bath. I can run a nice hot bath for you, if you like."

"No," Jem amended. "I mean my lung hurts. Something's wrong."

"Are you sure?" Will asked anxiously.

"I don't think I could even imagine this kind of pain," Jem elaborated. Now that Will stopped to pay attention, he realised that Jem's coughs and gasps sounded shallower than usual. He never complained of pain before but now he had his hand pressed against his left side. "It hurts to breathe," he gasped.

"Hold on, I'll get your uncle," Will said, jumping to his feet. He ran for the connecting door and yelled for help. The three adults ran in and rushed to Jem's side. Colette began panicking but Elias was eerily calm. He immediately asked Lijuan if she could drive them to a hospital and then helped Jem up and to his feet.

"Will, give me a hand," Elias asked. Will went to Jem's other side and put his arm around his neck. Together, they got Jem down to the car. The boy was quickly losing consciousness. Lijuan drove like the wind, dodging other cars and speeding through junctions just before the lights changed.

Jem was coughing up blood again by the time they got to the hospital. Colette ran out of the car and grabbed the nearest wheelchair, ignoring protests from the surprised hospital staff. Elias loaded Jem onto the chair and dashed in, with Lijuan following closely in tow, shouting things in Chinese at the nurses.

Jem was transferred onto a gurney and had an oxygen mask strapped over his face. He was taken to have a chest X-ray and other tests. Elias was not allowed to follow him and had to be forced into a waiting room. Colette eventually talked him into sitting down.

Will sat in a corner and wondered if there was any way for him to be useful. He hated hospitals ever since his sister Ella died in one, and this Chinese hospital was making him even more nervous, since he could not understand what anyone was saying. He went to sit by Colette, who put her arm around him comfortingly.

It seemed like hours before a doctor finally came to talk to them. He was a young Chinese doctor but he spoke English. "James has a collapsed lung," he said without any preamble. "It is very serious and we will have to operate. I understand you are his relatives. Do we have your permission?"

Elias was thrown off. "Collapsed lung? What does that mean? How serious is it? What will the operation entail?"

"Well, James' lungs are weak because of his cystic fibrosis. So when he coughed, some of the aveoli in his left lung ruptured, causing air from the lung to rush out and fill the chest space surrounding the lung. The air puts pressure on the lung and causes it to collapse," the doctor explained. "Because the collapse is severe, we need to insert a chest tube to relieve the pressure."

"Is it dangerous?" Elias asked.

"There's always a risk, but the risk is low for this. However, if he does not get the tube in, the pressure will only get worse and he will die."

Will did not like the look of this doctor. He seemed too eager, like the young new intern doctors he saw on TV dramas. "Are you going to do the operation?" he asked. "Have you done it before? Are you experienced?"

The doctor smiled at him. "Yes, I will do the operation. Yes, I have done it before. My patients all recovered. There's nothing to worry about."

"Do what you need to do," Elias said. "Just help him to get better."


	25. Chapter 25

**Warning: Very dark chapter ahead.**

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25.

Jem did not get better. When one chest tube failed to reinflate his lung, the doctors had to insert a second one. This worked, but he then picked up an infection and his body was unable to fight it off. The doctors pumped him full of medicines and did everything they could. But he slipped into a coma and could not breathe without the help of a machine pumping oxygen through a tube in his neck.

Elias refused to leave his side. He had set up camp on a chair beside the bed. He had a cold compress applied to Jem's forehead constantly in an attempt to bring down the fever. Two days passed agonisingly slowly. Lijuan came on the third day to say that the verdict had been passed. Luo was found not guilty and would walk free. Elias had been so angry that he broke the plastic cup he was holding.

Will spent as much time as he could in Jem's room. Rationally, he knew there was nothing he could do, but he felt like he had to be there, even if all he could do was think positive thoughts.

Poor Colette was left with the job of making sure the two of them were fed, watered and rested. It was not an easy job. She got into frequent arguments with Will over returning to the hotel every night, and she was in despair over getting Elias to eat or take a break. She would buy food for them, but if she wasn't there, most of the time the food was left uneaten.

"Elias, you can't go on like this," she finally said. "Do you think Jem would want you to kill yourself here? You need to sleep. In a proper bed, so you can rest properly."

"It's like history is repeating itself," Elias said in a hollow tone. "No, I have to be here, Colette."

"I'll stay," Colette insisted. "He won't be alone, I promise."

"It's not that," Elias countered. "It's… Six years ago, I sat here, in this very hospital, and waited for Jem to wake up. He was on oxygen too, like now. I left to go somewhere, I can't even remember where now. When I came back, I saw someone whom I thought was a doctor adjusting the equipment. He left as soon as I came in. Immediately afterwards, Jem started to turn blue. That person had switched off his oxgen supply."

"Someone tried to murder Jem?" Will asked in shock.

"I don't know. Perhaps. The other doctors managed to save him and there was no lasting harm. Everyone thought it was an accident, so I didn't pursue it. I never told Jem about it. I was more concerned with getting him better and out of the country as soon as possible," Elias explained. "It's not safe for him here in China."

"Now I understand," Colette said. "You're guarding him."

"I can't lose him, Colette," Elias said softly. He gently stroked Jem's hair. "He's all I have left of Jonah. And, he's my boy."

"And mine," Colette said. "I'll watch him. I promise. I won't let anything happen to him."

"No! I need to be here," Elias insisted.

Colette put her arms around him. "Elias, you're not thinking clearly. Go back to the hotel, get some sleep. I will stay with him. I won't let anyone hurt him," she assured. "You can't help Jem if you're exhausted."

Eventually, Elias gave in and took a cab back to the hotel. Will was allowed to stay with Colette, as a condition to the agreement. The TV was on, though neither of them could understand the Chinese programme. They just turned it on so that the room would not be so quiet. Colette got into the bed with Jem and carefully cuddled him.

"So that he doesn't feel like he's alone," she explained when Will looked quizzically at her. "You know, Will, he's told me about the things you do to try and cheer him up in the hospital."

"I don't think the nurses here would appreciate my methods," Will said. He paused for a very long time then asked: "Colette, is Jem going to die?"

"I hope not," Colette said. She kissed the top of Jem's head. "I really hope not."

Will joined them on the bed and squeezed in next to Jem. He lay down and put his head on Jem's lap. "I don't want him to die," he said. "I already lost a sister. I don't want to lose my brother too."

Colette put her hand down and ran her fingers comfortingly through Will's hair. "Let's not talk about this. Bad luck, in a sick room."

They stopped talking and Will fell asleep. When he woke, Lijuan was there talking softly to Colette. They looked grave. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I was just telling Auntie Lijuan what Elias told me. About someone trying to kill Jem six years ago," Colette informed him. "I thought, maybe, it could help in the trial. It's new evidence, after all."

"And I talked to the hospital's security department," Lijuan added. "They're retrieving the CCTV footage from that time. Maybe there will be something we can use. Don't worry, I will do everything I can to convict Luo. This is personal."

They heard nothing about the trial for the next few days. By then, seven days had passed since Jem was hospitalised fell into a coma. He was moved into the intensive care unit and monitored day and night. His condition did not improve. Eventually, he was put on life support.

Will was laying on the bed in the hotel room that evening, after Colette made him leave the hospital. It was hard for him to accept that things had changed so much in one week. Just seven days ago, he and Jem had been laughing over chocolate cake. Now, Jem was fighting for his life. Will couldn't understand why these things happened. It all felt unreal.

Someone knocked on the door of Colette's room but Will did not bother to get up to see who it was. He sighed, rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. However, when he heard a familiar voice speaking, he jumped up and ran over. "Dad!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Will," his father greeted, taking the few steps towards his son and pulling him into a hug. Usually, Will considered himself too old for childish gestures like hugs, but this time, with the events of the last week overwhelming him, he felt glad to let his father hold him and to feel protected like a child again.

When he broke away, he cleared his throat self-consciously and asked: "What are you doing here, Dad?"

"Elias called me…" his father began before Will interrupted.

"If he wants you to take me home, I'm not going," he said firmly. "I'm not leaving until I know Jem's getting better."

Mr Herondale shook his head. "I didn't think you would," he said. "That's why I'll be staying."

"Maybe he could use Jem's bed," Colette suggested.

"No!" Will burst out. "It's Jem's bed! He'll need it when he comes back."

The two adults exchanged a significant look. "All right," Mr Herondale gave in. "I'll see if there's an empty room in this hotel."

The next day, Mr Herondale took Will down for breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. Having his father around made Will feel a lot better, as if everything was going to be all right. He ate his fried rice, bacon, eggs and pancakes with a good appetite that he had not had in days. After breakfast, the father and son went for a walk along the river. Will poured out everything that had happened to his father, telling him all about the trial and its terrible aftermath, and the days spent in the hospital after that.

"I can't believe someone would have wanted to murder Jem," Will said. "He's the most harmless person I know."

"Oh, I don't know. Didn't you say that he once threatened a gang of bullies with a sword?" his father asked.

"It was an epee," Will corrected with a grin. "He wouldn't have hurt them, not really. He has too much restraint."

"A trait that you haven't quite learnt from him yet, given your frequent fights with your sister and her friend Gabriel."

"I don't trust Gabriel; he's a low down cad," Will asserted. "Cecily needs protecting from him."

His father laughed and moved on to other topics, such as the things Cecily was getting up to at home while Will was away. The day passed quickly in that manner. The two went all over the city – looking at museums, parks and even doing some shopping for Cecily and his mother.

It wasn't until they were queueing up to buy fried dumplings for dinner that Will realised he had barely spent any time worrying about Jem that entire day.

The dumplings were famous in Shanghai and there was a crowd of tourists also buying them. Mr Herondale bought a dozen and he and Will stood by the roadside, spearing dumplings with their chopsticks and laughing as the soup inside squirted out.

As they were eating, they ran into Lijuan's daughter Hanyun. She greeted them and then offered to take them to for dessert. It turned out to be a shop selling Chinese dessert soups, jellies and sweet dumplings. The shop was small and full of locals sitting on backless wooden stools at wooden tables. The whole place was decorated to look like Shanghai of the olden days. There were even sephia photographs decorating the walls showing scenes of the city in colonial times.

Hanyun ordered for them in flawless Chinese. Soon, three bowls of black sesame soup with milk pudding arrived. Will took a tentative spoonful and instantly felt like he was transported to heaven. The pudding was smooth, sweet and so delicious.

"Auntie Wen Yu, Jian Ming's mother, used to bring us here," Hanyun said conversationally. "She and Mama would talk, and me and Jian Ming would eat. We'd stay here for hours and try everything on the menu." Her voice trembled. She poked at her soup. "This was his favourite. He could eat this all day. He would've loved to have just one more bowl." She suddenly burst into tears and ran out of the shop.

Will stared in surprise and was about to go after her when his father put out a hand to stop him. "She's local. She knows her way around," Mr Herondale reasoned.

"But what happened? Why did she suddenly start crying like that?" Will asked in bewilderment. "Okay, she and Jem were probably best friends once, but that was years ago. What did she mean that he'd like to have one more bowl…?" Will suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong. Things were going too well. He was enjoying himself too much. His father was far too calm. "What's going on, Dad? What don't I know?"

His father sighed hard. "I told Elias you'd find out," he muttered to himself.

"Find out what?"

"William, I won't lie to you; you know that," his father began. "But it's going to be hard, and you may not want to hear it."

"How will I know if I want to hear it or not if I don't know what it is?" Will asked, partly in exasperation and partly in anxiety. "Is it Jem? Something happened to him?"

His father nodded. "Elias and the doctors have decided that it's time to let him go."

Will felt like the floor was pulled out from underneath him. He could not believe what he was hearing. "What?" he stammered in shock.

"Jem's not going to wake up, Will," his father explained. "Even now, the machines are breathing for him and keeping his heart beating. He's not going to recover. The merciful thing to do is to let him go."

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Will asked, forcing himself to stay calm. "To distract me? Were any of you even going to tell me?" His father's silence was deafening. "I want to go to the hospital. Now."

"Will…"

Will got to his feet. "We can go together or I'll hail a cab and go myself. Either way, I'm not going to sit here, eating dessert while they kill Jem!" His voice rose louder with each syllable.

Mr Herondale gave in and took Will to the hospital. Will ran up to the ICU faster than he had ever run, praying that he was not too late. He burst in to Jem's room and yelled: "You can't let him die!"

Elias was on the bed cradling Jem. Colette was next to him, holding Jem's hand. Even Lijuan was there, holding Jem's other hand. All three looked up when Will came in.

"You can't let him die," Will repeated frantically, tears starting to fall. "You can't… you just can't."

Elias didn't say anything. He just buried his face into Jem's hair and held his nephew tighter. Colette, however, got up and went to Will. "Will, Jem is suffering. He's said before that he did not want to be kept alive on machines. This is what he wants," she said sadly.

"No…" Will gasped. "He can't… This can't be…"

Colette put her arms around him. "Oh Will, I know this is difficult. But we have to do what's best for Jem now. We shouldn't force him to carry on if his body can't function any more. It's hurting him."

"Can't we just wait a while longer? Maybe he'll get better. People wake up from comas all the time," Will pleaded.

"It's been seven days. He hasn't gotten better. In fact, he's been getting worse all this time. You know this, Will," Colette reasoned.

"But, you haven't… done it yet, right?" Will asked, indicating the machines. They looked like they were still on and the room was noisy with the sound of the pumps and hiss of oxygen. "So, we could wait a while longer."

Colette lowered her eyes. "Tonight," she said. "At nine o'clock. That's when Jem usually goes to bed when we're at home."

Will fought to keep control of his emotions. "That's just less than two hours more," he pointed out. His voice cracked. "It's not enough time."

"We didn't want you to have to go through this," she said. "You should go, Will. You shouldn't have to see this."

"He's my brother!" Will cried. "Were you going to just let me blissfully play the tourist and then tell me Jem died when I got back? Were you going to tell me he died because you pulled the plug on him? I love Jem too. I have a right to be here."

"Let him stay," Elias adjudicated in a voice that was gruff and hoarse.

Will took a chair and placed it right next to the bed, where he could reach out and touch Jem's hand reassuringly. Mr Herondale sat by the window. Lijuan began singing something soothing in Chinese. It sounded like a lullaby.

Will thought of the times he and Jem spent together, right from the first moment they met – when Will was standing on the railing of Blackfriars Bridge and contemplating jumping off it, fun days they had swimming in the lake in Wales, playing games in Will's attic room in London. Jem bandaging Will up after he got into fights or accidents from attempting to do stupid things. The numerous slices of chocolate cake they had shared. He did not know what his life would have been like without Jem. Most likely, he would have been dead or a juvenile delinquent. He owed Jem so much.

His face screwed up and his heart felt like it was being torn into shreds. But even as tears clouded his vision, he refused to look away. If this would be the last time he would see Jem alive, then he wanted to remember it. He wanted to burn it into his memory for all eternity.

All too soon, nine o'clock came round. A doctor and several nurses came into the room and stood discreetly by the door. Lijuan got up first. She bent over Jem and kissed him, caressing his face tenderly, before leaving the room. Colette did the same and went to stand by Elias, her arms around his shoulders in a show of support. Elias nodded mechanically at the doctor, who came round to the machines by the bed.

Will felt frozen to his chair. His father came up to him. "Will, it's time to say goodbye," he said.

"I can't, Dad," he said in a tight voice.

"Think of Jem," his father urged. "You know he'd want you to be brave for him." His father gently but firmly pulled him to his feet and to the side to give the nurses space to work.

Will followed, but as soon as he saw the doctor put a hand on the life support machine, he yelled: "No!"

The doctor was so startled by the sudden outburst that he stopped and stared.

Will's control broke. "No! You can't do this! You can't give up on him! He's not dead! You're going to kill him!"

Elias ignored Will but Colette entreated: "Will, please don't! Please don't make this any harder than it is."

"NO! This is wrong! I won't let you do this. He's alive. He's going to wake up. You just need to give him more time!" Will bellowed hysterically, struggling as his father tried to wrestle him out of the room. "Jem! Jem! Wake up! I know you can hear me! Please, get up! JEM!" A nurse now tried to pull Will away, saying something in Chinese. Will was having none of it. He kicked out and just barely missed injuring the nurse. "Let go of me! Jem! You can't die! You've got to get up! Jem! You listen to me right now! WAKE UP!"

Colette then let out a scream. A hand was pressed to her mouth but the other was pointing at Jem. Everyone turned to look.

Weakly, but unmistakeably, Jem's eyes had fluttered open, and he was looking at Will.


	26. Chapter 26

**You guys! Thank you so much for all your sweet comments (viridiana, RainbowSpark18, Teeloganroryflan and guests). They mean so much to me! I wish I could reach through the computer and give you all big hugs. :D**

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26.

The hospital room erupted into chaos. Everyone was forced out of the room as the doctor and nurses crowded around Jem's bed. Elias paced outside the door, Colette watched him with a worried expression, Will leaned against the opposite wall, staring at the door's viewing panel as though he could burn a hole through it. Mr Herondale stood by calmly, ready to offer help if necessary.

It seemed as though an eternity had passed before the door opened and the young Chinese doctor came out. Everyone looked expectantly at him. He must have been used to this for he simply said: "James is alive."

Will felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his heart. Elias, though, slumped against the wall. "I almost killed him," he said hollowly with a hand pressed over his eyes. "My boy…"

"It was not your fault. All medical evidence pointed that way," the doctor comforted. "It is a miracle that he is alive right now. But the next 48 hours will be crucial. His lungs are in extremely bad shape. If he makes it through the next two days, we would like to take him into surgery to try and strengthen his lung to avoid another collapse."

"Can he withstand surgery?" Mr Herondale asked.

"We will see," the doctor said.

"And can we go in and see him?" Will's father continued.

"He is awake but he is very weak. He's still got his throat tube in so he can't speak. He's not strong enough yet to breathe on his own. We also had to give him a sedative because he was delirious and kept trying to pull the tubes out. You can see him but not too many people at once," the doctor advised. "Maybe just one or two visitors. That shouldn't be too overwhelming. Then let him rest." The doctor delivered this suggestion then moved on.

Elias looked at Will. "You should go in," he offered. "It's thanks to you that he's still alive. He'll want to see you."

"He'll want to see you too," Will quickly said.

"No. How can I face him? I gave up on him. I don't know how I'm going to live with myself after this," Elias lamented.

Colette immediately said: "You didn't give up. You just did what you thought was best. You relied on what the doctors said and what Jem himself told you. Go in. Talk to him." She unceremoniously dragged him by the hand, pulled open the door and pushed him in. "Will, you too," she beckoned, pushing him into the room as well then shutting the door.

It seemed as though nothing had changed. Jem was still laying on the bed, eyes closed, pale and unmoving as a statue. The machines were still beeping and the hiss of the oxygen tank still cut through the quiet. For a terrible moment, Will wondered if he had fallen back into unconsciousness. Elias went up to Jem's bed and touched his hand. "Jem?" he called gently.

Jem's eyes fluttered opened and he stared up at his uncle. His lips moved to form a word but no sound came out, just a faint gasp. His gaze then turned to Will. There was confusion in his eyes and a bit of panic. Will immediately took Jem's other hand. "You're going to be okay, mate," he assured in a voice that was a little too loud. "Don't worry about anything. You're a bit sick now but we're going to take care of you. Right?" he looked up at Elias.

Jem's uncle nodded. "I love you, Jem," he said. "We're right here with you. Me and Will. Colette's outside and so is Will's dad. Rest now. You need your strength to heal." Jem still did not relax.

On impulse, Will climbed into the bed and put his arms around Jem. "You'll be fine. I'll protect you from the monsters," he said. That seemed to dispel a little of the fear in his friend's eyes. Will counted that as a victory. "Go on, you need to rest now. Don't make me have to sing you to sleep. I've told you before, it won't be pretty." There was a hint of a smile on Jem's lips. "I'll be right here. And I promise I won't steal the covers, just as long as you don't kick me off the bed in the night." Will felt the tension leave Jem's body as the boy relaxed. "Good night bro, sleep tight. I'll see you in the morning."

The night passed quietly. Will was woken the next morning by his father gently shaking him and carefully untangling him from Jem's many tubes. "Come on, son," Mr Herondale whispered. "Time to get up and give the doctors some space to check on Jem."

Will blinked and looked around, taking in the doctors and nurses that were in the room curiously staring at him. He rubbed his eyes and let his father pull him to his feet. "You're really too big to be sharing this tiny bed with Jem," his father commented.

Jem was awake. He smiled at Will when the boy glanced over at him, and there was a twinkle in his eye. Will felt relieved to see it; surely, it was a sign that Jem was going go recover. Surely, a person on the verge of dying would not have that look of affectionate amusement on his face.

Mr Herondale ushered Will to a small waiting room outside the ICU. There, it looked as though Lijuan had set up a celebratory spread. She was cheerfully handing out bowls of rice porridge with minced pork, steamed white buns and dim sum to everyone who was there, even strangers.

"Colette told me everything," she said when she saw Will, her eyes filling with tears. "Jian is alive. Thank you. Thank you!" She pressed a cup of hot soy milk into Will's hands. "Come, eat whatever you like."

Will took some of everything, then pretended to protest as Lijuan enthusiastically piled more food onto his plate. He had figured out by now that she showed her affection with food, and he just let her do it. Her cooking was excellent so he had no complaints.

When Lijuan finally let him leave the buffet table, he took a seat with his father and Colette, who had both been watching with great amusement.

"You'll get fat," his father teased, nodding at the mountain of food on his plate.

"I'm not fat," Will insisted and tucked into the delicious rice porridge. "And this is healthy stuff."

"You never eat the porridge we give you at home," his father remarked snidely.

"I would if it tasted as awesome as this," Will retorted.

"It's the spring onions and sesame oil, I believe," Colette chimed in. "I can give your mother the recipe if you like; I've got it for Jem."

"Do you think Jem can go home soon?" Will asked. "Christmas is coming."

Colette shook her head. "Elias mentioned that he wanted to take Jem somewhere to convalesce. Thailand, perhaps, or Spain. Somewhere warm. London weather is brutal at this time of the year."

Will was crestfallen. This would be the second Christmas that Jem would not be spending with him. "He'll be back for school, right?" he continued hopefully.

"I don't know," Colette admitted. "He might not. You know his health comes first. We might home school him. We've been thinking about that for a while now. It'll be easier – he won't have to travel so much and he'll have more time for his doctor's appointments and treatment sessions."

Will was even more down after hearing that. He liked having Jem in school with him. He quickly finished his breakfast in silence then wandered back into Jem's room. The doctors were done with him by then. They had removed the breathing tube from his neck and fitted him with an oxygen mask.

Jem opened his eyes as Will came in. The mask was fogging up a little on the inside as he breathed but Will could see him smile.

"I'm going to go grab some breakfast," Elias unexpectedly announced as Will settled into a chair by Jem's bed. "Could you stay with Jem till I get back, Will?"

"Of course!" Will declared, feeling proud that Elias trusted him enough to leave Jem in his care. "Take your time."

Will waited until Elias had completely left the room before he hopped up onto the bed with Jem, who slowly shifted his weight to make room for Will. "Hi," he whispered raspily. His voice was muffled by the mask.

"Hey yourself," Will said cheerfully. "You seem better."

"I've had better days," Jem grumbled.

"You've also had worst," Will pointed out. "But I think things are looking up. Soon you'll be up and running a marathon."

"I don't like marathons," Jem objected.

"Fencing then," Will amended. "You'll be winning tournaments before you know it." He lifted his hand and swished it through the air. "En garde!" he exclaimed and began giving a blow-by-blow of an imaginary and extremely exciting fencing competition. Jem listened with rapt attention as Will described a stunning victory and the thunderous roar of a cheering crowd.

"I'm glad you're here, Will," Jem said after Will finished. "You always know what to say. Cheers me up."

"Jester on demand," Will reminded him. "Now, what does my lord and master wish to me to talk about?"

Jem laughed softly. "The new year? School? I can't wait to be back." Will's smile fell before he could help himself. Jem seemed to sense it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Will said quickly.

"I know you're lying," Jem observed.

Will told Jem everything that Colette told him. "I'm going to miss you in school," he concluded.

"You can always come and see me," Jem suggested. "No, you _must_ come and see me. Or call, if I'm not in London. I'll be so bored without you."

"That's what you need. Some good healthy boredom," Will argued. "Lay around on the beach, frolic in the sea, breathe in the good tropical air. Get a tan. Eat ice lollies and sausage rolls all day. Ogle the topless sunbathing girls."

"Will!" Jem elbowed his friend. Will shoved back, though with considerably less roughness than he usually would have. Jem leaned against Will tiredly and the two boys relaxed for a while, listening to the oxygen hissing into Jem's mask. Then, Jem said: "Uncle told me what you did yesterday night."

"Don't," Will interrupted. "I don't really want to talk about it now. You're good and alive now. I don't want to remember when… when…" he trailed off, not wanting to even think about it.

"When I almost died?" Jem finished the sentence for him.

Will sat up to face his friend. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "That you _wanted_ to die?"

Jem sighed. "I don't _want_ to die, Will," he explained slowly. "I just… I'm not afraid of death. When it's time for me to go, I would rather do it quickly. I don't want to drag it all out. I guess we never really had a chance to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about it," Will insisted. "I don't want to lose you, Jem."

"I don't think you will. Not today, at least," Jem assured him. "But Will, you must know that I will die, and probably sooner than any of us think."

"No. I can't accept that. I won't. You can't make me." Will felt the tears prickling at the back of his eyes. His throat tightened as he forced the words out.

"You can't stop it," Jem said gently but firmly. "No one can."

"We're going to fix this. We'll find a cure. You're not going to leave me, James Carstairs!"

"Will…"

"No!" Will leaped to his feet. "I don't care that you're all right with dying. Don't ask me to sit by and accept it. Don't think you mean nothing in this world. If it weren't for you, I would be dead. I want you to be here with me. I want you to stay alive. I _need_ you to stay alive. Do you understand? I'm not letting you die. I _forbid_ you to do it!"

Inexplicably, Jem grinned at Will's outburst. "Crystal clear," he said. "I'll do my best to oblige."


	27. Chapter 27

27.

"If you get cold, put on your jumper. But be careful. Don't catch your hand on any tubes," Colette reminded Jem for the hundredth time.

"Yes, Aunt Colette," Jem grinned.

"Remember where your IV bag is. Don't sit on it again and make it explode all over the place," she continued.

"Yes, Aunt Colette."

"Don't forget to bring the hand sanitiser. Remember to use it after you touch anything," she continued. "Where is it? I'll put it in your bag now.

"Yes, Aunt Colette. It's in the bathroom."

"Where's the box of N95 masks? You'll need to change them regularly," she searched for the box that the doctors had brought in earlier that day.

"Yes, Aunt Colette. You've already put it in my bag."

"Don't put your bag on the oxygen tanks! It's not a trolley," she chided, removing Jem's backpack and placing it on the back of his wheelchair instead.

"Yes, Aunt Colette."

Will watched in great amusement as Colette fussed over Jem. It had been only three days since Jem's near-death experience and two days since he had been moved out of the ICU, but he was being temporarily discharged from the hospital to attend a court hearing that Lijuan had managed to arrange to present new evidence against the gangster Luo Chunguang, as part of an appeal against the not-guilty verdict. Elias would be taking the stand and testifying.

Nothing short of another coma would have stopped Jem from missing such an important session, so the doctors reluctantly allowed him to leave the hospital for a few hours. They fitted him with a wheelchair, portable IVs, oxygen tanks, nasal cannulas, monitors and enough N95 masks to repel against the plague. Elias had left earlier with Lijuan and put Colette in charge. Jem did not complain. Will suspected that he would have agreed even if they asked him to put on a Hazmat suit.

"Is it time yet? Can we go?" Jem asked.

"You know Will's father will call us when he's arrived," Colette said. Mr Herondale had volunteered to drive them to the court, to save Lijuan from making another trip, and had gone to pick up a rental car. "Are you hungry?"

"No, Aunt Colette."

"You'll tell me if you are, won't you?"

"Yes, Aunt Colette."

"And for god's sake, remember to stay away from anyone who's coughing or sneezing."

Will interrupted her. "Why are you telling him all this? You're coming with us after all."

"I'm just reminding him," Colette defended. "And you too. You're my second set of eyes watching out for Jem."

"I always look out for Jem," Will said indignantly.

"He's right. He does," Jem added, smiling gratefully at his friend.

Colette made Jem take another drink of water and wash his hands. She smoothened his already immaculate hair and brushed off non-existent specks of dust from his shirt. The boy bore with her ministrations with incredible patience. Will suspected that he just did not want to do anything that might jeopardise his chance of attending the hearing.

When Mr Herondale finally arrived and they all got into the car. They drove quickly to the court, dodged the media camped outside and went in. Now, Jem was practically quivering with anticipation as the hearing began, and Lijuan made her speech and introduced Elias. Speculation had been rife ever since the court observers discovered that he was going to take the stand. No one knew what he was going to say. A sense of quiet expectation fell over the courtroom when Elias took the stand and swore to tell the truth.

Elias was a strong presence in the witness box. Even though Will knew him to be jumpy and of a slightly nervous disposition at home, Jem's uncle was now calm and business-like. He concisely and precisely told the court about Jem's parents and the threats they had received as a result of Wen Yu pursuing the case against Luo. He presented several letters Jonah had written to him, showing that, unlike what had been alleged, Jem's parents were not in an abusive relationship but truly feared for their lives.

The courtroom exploded into furious buzzing when Elias recounted his experience in the hospital with Jem after his parents' death – when Luo had attempted to murder the injured boy right in the middle of the hospital.

Defence lawyer Yang Li Wei leapt to his feet. "You have no proof of any of this!" he raged. "This is outrageous!"

"If it's proof you want, then proof you will get," Lijuan replied with a small smirk on her face. She gestured to a laptop. "Your honour," she addressed Judge Chen, "I have footage from CCTV cameras in the hospital. Mr Carstairs did not recognise Luo at the time – How could he? They had never met – so he did not put the pieces together until he saw Luo at the trial two weeks ago. But the camera remembers, and it does not lie."

The lights in the courtroom were dimmed and the CCTV footage beamed onto projector screens. Two clips were shown – one an enhanced version and the other unedited – both showing the view just outside Jem's hospital door. Both clips showed Elias exiting the hospital room and Luo slipping in moments afterwards; Elias returned a few minutes later, and Luo left the room; almost instantly afterwards, Elias was seen at the doorway frantically gesturing, and doctors and nurses were rushing in. Everything corroborated what Elias had said.

After the clips were shown, Lijuan continued: "If the court wishes for more evidence, I also have a doctor and nurse here who will testify that they were on duty that day and can tell us what happened when they were called in to deal with the emergency in James' room. You will find that they will also say that the oxygen supply had been intentionally turned off. The only person who had the motive and opportunity to do so was Luo."

Things moved quickly after that. The doctor and nurse were called in to give their testimony and Yang cross-examined them. There was no conviction in his cross-examination, as though he knew there was nothing he could do to turn the situation around now. The court was then adjourned while Judge Chen considered the new evidence. That took the rest of the day. Colette once half-heartedly suggested that Jem return to the hospital, but the boy vehemently opposed the idea and stubbornly remained in his seat. It was not just him who refused to leave – no one left the courthouse; everyone was eager to find out the verdict on this case.

Finally, the judge returned and called for order. "I have considered the new evidence in the light of what has already been presented to the court and find that there are valid grounds for this appeal," he announced. "The new evidence is in line with the argument of the prosecution throughout this process and supports the charge of attempted murder. This throws into doubt the assertions by the defence that the prosecution's prior evidence was invalid and the witnesses mistaken.

"The new evidence brought before the court has shown that the defendant did attempt to impersonate a doctor. His furtive behaviour at the beginning and end of the CCTV clip suggests that his actions were premeditated and he knew it was unlawful. The testimony of Mr Elias Carstairs, as well as the doctor and nurse strongly point to an intentional sabotage by the patient, with the intent to kill the patient, Mr James Carstairs, whose parents' death was has been linked to the defendant.

"Mr James Carstairs' testimony on the death of his parents, Mr Jonah Carstairs and Madam Ke Wen Yu, has been called to question by the defence, on the basis of his psychological state. However, in the light of the new evidence, I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt, that the defendant could have been involved in the deaths, even if it was not his hand that directly caused them.

"With doubt cast on the deaths of Mr Jonah Carstairs and Madam Ke, serious questions are raised as to the validity of the previous witness testimonies and evidence, with regard to the charges of corruption, extortion and criminal intimidation, among others. Taking into consideration the whole body of evidence this court has been presented with, there is substantial reason to believe that the previous verdict was inaccurate. Will the defendant please stand?"

Luo slowly got to his feet. All eyes were on him and the judge. Jem sat up straight and gripped the arm rests of his chair. He tensed and waited with bated breath.

The judge continued: "Pursuant to Section _ of the Criminal Code, I find the defendant, Luo Chunguang, guilty of all charges. The court will now adjourn and reconvene at a suitable time and date for sentencing." The judge finished his statement and pounded the gavel once to mark the end of the session.

The courtroom erupted again into loud shouts and noise. Jem had buried his face in his hands and his shoulders were shaking.

"Jem! Did you hear? He's been found guilty!" Will repeated, leaning over to shout into his ear.

Jem looked up. There were tears in his eyes but he wore the widest smile. "We did it," he breathed excitedly. "I can't believe it. We actually won."

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 **Hi guys! I hope you've been enjoying my story so far. Unfortunately, now it's time for some bad news. This was supposed to be the second-last chapter, with the next being the finale. But it's probably going to be a while before the next chapter goes up because (I'm ashamed to say) I haven't written it yet. Since I've been having a horrible case of writer's block, I'd like to ask you guys: What would you like to see in the next chapter? How would you like this story to end? I need some ideas to jog my inspiration. :)**


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